CUMBRIAN MAN FINED FOR BREACHING COURT ORDER WITH FACETIME CHAT
A young man from Cark, Matthew Abbott, aged 21, breached a sexual harm prevention order by engaging in online FaceTime video chats with a 19-year-old girl.Abbott had been subject to the order after admitting to sexually communicating with a minor shortly after turning 18, involving a girl two years younger.
He was summoned to court twice for breaching this order.
One breach involved his use of FaceTime, while the other, described by his lawyer as 'technical,' related to a downloaded browser app found on his computer, which was discovered when his offender manager examined his digital devices during a routine visit.
The investigation revealed no evidence that Abbott had accessed illegal content.
The prosecution decided to proceed because Abbott had previously received a caution for a breach of the same order.
During the hearing, his lawyer explained the browser download was unintentional, resulting from automatic download behavior when accessing an online game, and emphasized that there was no illicit intent.
The second breach was characterized as 'more deliberate,' but the lawyer stated Abbott was motivated by social isolation living on a farm and had engaged in innocent conversation with the young woman.
Abbott acknowledged the breaches but stated there was nothing sinister or illegal in his communication.
The judge, Nicholas Barker, sentenced him to a 12-month community order with ten rehabilitation days and a 56-day alcohol abstinence order.
No confiscation of digital devices was ordered.
