Guildford man jailed for breaching Sexual Harm Prevention Order

A man has been sentenced to two years behind bars for breaching a Sexual Harm Prevention Order after pleading guilty at Guildford Crown Court on Monday (15 November).

Steven Sturgess, 52, from Guildford, was given a Sexual Harm Prevention Order and placed on the Sex Offender’s Register in 2009.

The conditions of this order included restrictions in Sturgess’ access to the internet and he was also subject to unannounced visits from officers.

During one of these visits in February last year, officers found that the monitoring software which had been installed on Sturgess’ laptop had been removed.

Further searches of the device found that he was accessing extreme pornography and indecent images of children.

Sturgess also pled guilty to possession of extreme pornography and making indecent images of children.

PC Lisa Varley and PC Graham Smith, who both investigated the case, said: “The restrictions placed on convicted sex offenders allow us to monitor their behaviour closely, and when breaches such as this one arise, we are able to take swift action to prevent further harm and de-escalate the offender’s behaviour.

“I hope this sentence serves as a reminder to other offenders out there that we will diligently monitor and check your behaviour and we will not hesitate to act if you re-offend.”