WORKINGTON SEX OFFENDER JAILED FOR FAILING TO DECLARE YOUTUBE USERNAME
A SEX offender has been jailed after failing to inform police of a YouTube account he claimed was ‘auto-generated’ by the video sharing platform.Prosecutor Pamela Fee said Holliday is a registered sex offender who is subject to notification requirements.
He is managed by officers from the Management of Sexual or Violent Offenders team who ensure that such offenders are complying with orders.
Ms Fee said Holliday is required to undertake polygraph tests after being convicted of sexual communication with a child on the social media and video sharing platform, TikTok.
In 2022, he was given a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) and made subject to Sex Offender notification requirements for seven years.
He must notify police of any online usernames within three days, the court was told.
Ms Fee said Holliday had been assessed as ‘high risk’ for reoffending after previously breaching the SHPO.
The court heard that Holliday attended the polygraph appointment in Cockermouth on September 3 and during a pre-interview discussion, he admitted deleting the internet history from his phone, stating it was ‘normal pornography’.
This was ‘a huge concern’.
The defendant also said he had lost that phone on the beach in the days prior.
Officers attended Cockermouth Police Station and Holliday was arrested.
His phone was seized and a search was carried out on the device.
There was a username on YouTube that had been used on August 31.
Holliday had not notified police of the username.
Ms Fee said there had been two previous breaches of the SHPO and within five and a half weeks, the defendant had committed further breaches.
Holliday was ‘fully aware’ of the requirements.
The court was told that Holliday’s use of YouTube was known to police and had been authorised by them.
His legal representative explained that the username was auto-generated when YouTube was purchased by Elon Musk, and that it was not a new account.
The defendant has issues with childhood trauma and would benefit from ongoing support.
Holliday pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing to failing to comply with notification requirements.
He was sentenced to 24 weeks in jail, must pay £85 costs and a £154 victim surcharge.
