CUMBRIAN SEX OFFENDER TO BE SENTENCED AT CROWN COURT
A 22-year-old registered sex offender who contacted children via TikTok and took explicit screenshots will be sentenced at Carlisle Crown Court next month.Charlie Currie, formerly of Kendal but now living in Botchergate, Carlisle, pleaded guilty at Carlisle Magistrates’ Court to breaching his Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) twice and making five indecent photographs of children.
A SHPO is a court order designed to protect the public from sexual harm by restricting an individual's behaviour.
Prosecutor George Shelley explained that, as part of Currie’s notification requirements, his phone was checked at Carlisle police station.
Officers found that between April 2 and April 8, he had downloaded and used an AI chatbot app, something he was banned from doing under his SHPO.
His phone was seized and a forensic download revealed further offending.
Mr Shelley said: "The download proved messages between the defendant and a 10-12-year-old female." The court was told that Currie contacted the girl via TikTok, another breach of his SHPO, and during a video call took explicit screenshots of her.
An almost identical offence involved a 12-15-year-old girl, and all of the screenshots were later deleted from his device, the court heard.
In total, Currie made five category C indecent images of children between April 6 and April 8.
The court heard Currie had four previous convictions for five offences and had already breached his SHPO twice.
Magistrates told him they believed he was at high risk of further offending.
Defence solicitor Ant Wilson represented Currie.
Currie was previously jailed in 2025 for breaching an interim SHO by approaching children in Kendal.
Magistrates committed the case to Carlisle Crown Court where Currie will be sentenced on May 22.
He was remanded in custody for a pre-sentence report to be prepared.
