A SEX offender has been jailed for persistently breaching the terms of a court order.

Glenn Richards, aged 45, of Pitman Place, Wotton-under-Edge, was sent to prison for 10 months for constantly breached the terms of a sex offenders prevention order for the past 13 years by using internet enabled devices.

Speaking at Gloucester Crown Court on Friday, December 1, prosecutor George Threlfall explained how Richards had appealed numerous times against his convictions but without success.

He was released on parole on April 19, 2021 from a 27-month prison term and because he was registered as a high risk sex offender, he was subject to the terms of a 2010 sex offenders prevention order which banned him from using the internet, the prosecutor said.

On May 14 , 2021, police discovered the internet was being used at his home address during a visit.

A router was found along with a number of internet enabled computers and there was evidence that the Wi-Fi had recently been used by Richards on one of his devices for shopping online and trying to make contact with a friend on social media, said Mr Threlfall.

Richards was arrested and recalled to prison to serve the rest of his custodial sentence.

Laura Coton, defending, said: “Richards has admitted using a search engine for legitimate items, shopping online and contacting a friend on social media. He didn’t use it for anything else.

“Richards is an autistic man who is intelligent but was reluctant to accept his offending."

Richards admitted breaching the terms of his sex offenders prevention order on May 14, 2021.

Judge Rupert Lowe sentenced Richards to 10 months in been jail, saying: “This is your sixth breach of this order.

“In 2010 you were convicted of sexually assaulting a child and grooming three other youngsters and subsequently subjected to this court order, which you have gone on to breach it in 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016 for which you were jailed for four-and-a-half years and a further breach in March 2017.

"In 2020 you were sentenced to 27 months prison at Bristol Crown Court for similar offending.

“But when you were released on parole, part way through your last sentence, you were under the impression, despite being convicted on five occasions, that part of the terms of your court order was ‘unfair’ or unlawful’, and that you were not going to comply."