Mark Lee, a registered sex offender from Manchester, has been sentenced to five years in prison for repeatedly breaching his sexual harm prevention order.

Lee, who is 21 years old, was already subject to restrictions following a conviction for indecent image offences in 2023. These included bans on contacting anyone under 18 and possessing any images of minors. He was also bound by a Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

Despite these restrictions, Lee used online chatrooms, often disguising his age with filters, to target teenage boys. He coerced one 13-year-old boy into sending explicit pictures and paid him £1,200 in an attempt to encourage further sharing. When the boy tried to end contact, Lee created a fake social media account posing as his own sister to manipulate the teenager back into communication.

Lee's Offender Manager conducted weekly checks on him following his 2023 conviction. In November 2023, Lee was arrested after using a prohibited device and engaging in online conversations with underage boys. Despite being released on bail, he continued to contact victims and even met one of them in February 2024.

Further arrests followed in April 2024 when Lee's Offender Manager received a report from him alleging fraud. This report was suspicious as Lee was prohibited from possessing electronic devices. Upon arrest, officers discovered images of young boys on his phone, leading to the identification of his victims.

Lee has now been charged with multiple sexual offences, including engaging in sexual communication with a child, inciting a boy aged 13-15 to engage in sexual activity, possession of indecent images of children, meeting a young boy following grooming, and repeatedly breaching his sexual harm prevention order.