MAN SENTENCED TO TWO YEARS AFTER BREACHING HIS SEXUAL HARM PREVENTION ORDER
Specialist officers responsible for observing individuals convicted of sexual crimes have expressed approval of the two-year prison sentence given to a man who threatened to share private sexual material and breached the terms of his Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO).Andrew Wood, aged 33 and from Hartlepool, drew attention after a routine, unannounced police visit.
During this check, an officer suspected he was erasing data from his mobile device.
The phone was seized and thoroughly checked, revealing he had sent thousands of messages to a woman, threatening to release intimate photographs and videos to her acquaintances and family members.
It was also discovered that he had uploaded images of her child online for access by other sex offenders.
After his arrest, Wood was formally charged and held in custody until his court appearance, where he faced sentencing.
Detective Constable Malissa Haines, part of the Sex Offender Management Unit, stated: “Wood caused significant psychological harm to his victim through over 16,000 unwanted communications, including calls, emails, and messages spanning 18 months.
“These communications included threats to disclose private images.
We are grateful to the victim for having the bravery to report these offenses, which allowed us to conduct our investigation.
We hope that the court's sentence combined with a restraining order will help her find some measure of peace.”
