Peterborough sex offender used library computers to search for images of young girls

Richard Burke, 38, of Wesleyan Road, Peterborough, admitted to using the computers to search the internet at Cambridge Crown Court on Wednesday (10 October) and was jailed for three months for breaching the terms of a sexual harm prevention order.

The order banned Burke from using any device capable of accessing the internet unless he could present it to a police officer when asked. Burke was also prevented from communicating with under-18s online.

Officers from the force’s public protection unit visited Burke’s home on 19 August. He confessed to officers he had been visiting his local library on an almost daily basis and using the computers to search eBay, look-up Doctor Who sites and use Google to find images of young girls.

DC Rob Hutchings said: “Burke was visiting the library several times a week to search for images of girls under 10. By failing to tell police officers about his private search sessions, Burke knew he was breaking a court order.

“Breaching a sexual harm prevention order is a serious offence. These orders exist to protect vulnerable children and the wider community.

“I hope this sentence sends a clear message to those who would seek to do children harm.”

Burke had been sentenced on July 20 2017 for six counts of making indecent images of children and one count of possession of a prohibited image of a child.

He was given a 20 month custodial sentence, was out on license at the time of this offence.

Will serve the rest of his sentence and be put on the sex offenders register for 10 years with a sexual harm prevention order.

Introduced in 2015, sexual harm prevention orders are made by the magistrates’ or crown courts. They are designed to prevent someone convicted or suspected of a sexual offence from taking a particular action, like volunteering with children or using a computer without permission from the authorities.

For more about spotting the signs of child sexual exploitation, visit: www.cambs.police.uk/childprotection