Sex offender who continued his crimes immediately after being sentenced for earlier offences.

A 76-year-old sex offender, Michael Bell, has been jailed for 14 months after he continued his crimes immediately following a suspended sentence for previous offences.

York Crown Court heard that police found 39 indecent images of girls on Bell's computer during a visit on April 10th. The images, categorized as the least serious, were downloaded between March 18th and April 10th.

Bell had previously been given a suspended prison sentence on March 28th for possession of indecent images of children. As part of his sentence, he was also subjected to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO).

Despite the court's leniency, Bell continued his illegal activities, breaching the SHPO and downloading new indecent images. Judge Simon Hickey, who had previously spared Bell an immediate jail sentence, stated that the recent breach and the new offences made a suspended sentence impossible.

The 14-month prison sentence included 12 months from the original suspended sentence and two months for the new offences. Bell had been remanded in custody for 11 weeks following his arrest in April.

Bell's defense lawyer, Daisy Wrigley, argued that his health problems, including heart problems, were exacerbated by the lack of exercise in prison. However, the court ultimately sentenced Bell due to the seriousness of his repeated offenses.