CRAIG GILBERT

A sex offender considered to be dangerous was returned to custody shortly after his release, following new offenses committed just a fortnight after he was freed.

Craig Gilbert had previously been imprisoned for inciting and attempting to incite four different minors.

He was released from a 66-month extended prison sentence on licence in July of the previous year.

Nonetheless, within just two weeks of his release, authorities identified him as having committed further offenses.

Law enforcement officers, who were overseeing his compliance, visited the hostel in Elswick, Newcastle, where Gilbert resided.

During their check to ensure he was adhering to sex offender registration rules and his sexual harm prevention order, they examined his mobile device.

They uncovered explicit communications with a girl believed to be 16 years old, where Gilbert inquired if she was still attending school and offered to be her "sugar daddy." Further scrutiny of his phone revealed he had erased his browsing history, an action prohibited by his sexual harm prevention order.

Additionally, officers found 11 indecent images of children stored in a folder on his phone, including one depicting a girl aged between three and five being raped.

The 32-year-old, who has no fixed residence, was sentenced at Newcastle Crown Court to two years in prison.

This sentence was extended by an additional three years on licence after Gilbert admitted to possessing child pornography, breaching his sexual harm prevention order, and attempting to violate that order.