HALIFAX PAEDOPHILE JAILED FOR BREACHING COURT ORDER AFTER EARLY PRISON RELEASE
A Halifax man previously jailed for child-related offences has been sent back to prison after downloading dating applications on his phone after being released early under a government scheme designed to reduce prison overcrowding.Anthony Houlihan, who has a record that includes possessing indecent images of children, was found to have violated his sexual harm prevention order just days after his release last month.
The order, established to prevent him from reoffending and restrict his internet use, had been imposed when he received a three-year sentence in January.
Following his early release on September 10, authorities from the Calderdale Public Protection unit visited him to verify his compliance.
Although Houlihan’s mobile phone was registered with police, officers discovered that he had removed the dating app Skout and WhatsApp from his phone’s home screen, which constituted a breach of the court order.
Houlihan, aged 47, spoke to officers via a video call from HMP Leeds, claiming he had only looked at the dating app for a short period before deleting it.
His lawyer, Imran Majid, explained to the court that Houlihan had difficulties reading and writing, and was not adequately briefed on the details of his sexual harm prevention order when it was issued.
Majid added: “He believed that deleting his internet history was enough, not understanding that removing applications from his phone was also part of the restrictions.
The fact that he was released early and then breached the order calls for a tolerant consideration of his situation.” The judge, Sophie McKone, sentenced Houlihan to six months in prison, underscoring that the order was crucial in preventing him from viewing child abuse images.
While acknowledging he knew deleting the apps was wrong, she noted there was no indication he used them to search for illegal content.
Her remarks also pointed out that his prior convictions increased the severity of his breach, with his early plea of guilt serving as his only mitigation.
