WOMAN JAILED FOR DELETING WHATSAPP MESSAGES AND HIDING HER PHONE IN BREACH OF SEXUAL OFFENCES ORDER
A woman known as Nicola Appleton has been sentenced to 24 weeks in jail for breaching a lifelong sexual offences prevention order (SOPO).In 2014, she was previously incarcerated for 10 months after being convicted of five counts of making indecent images of children.
Recently, she was found to have violated her SOPO by hiding a mobile phone from police officers, wiping a tablet to factory settings, and deleting WhatsApp messages.
At Teesside Crown Court, she admitted to four counts of breaching the order, which included deleting WhatsApp messages, possessing a device capable of storing digital images without making it available for inspection when requested, possessing a mobile device and a tablet, and deleting her internet browsing history.
Prosecutor Jonathan Gittens explained that during an investigation, officers asked her to show her mobile phone, but she falsely claimed it was lost; later, she retrieved it from behind a sofa cushion when searched.
Appleton explained to officers that she needs a support worker 24 hours a day to help her stop deleting things from her phone.
She had deleted messages exchanged with a man she was in a relationship with, but these messages did not contain anything criminal.
A pre-sentence report indicated her actions were driven by feelings of loneliness and a desire for some form of relationship.
Recorder Marco Giuliani remarked that her behavior was an attempt to hide lawful activity she preferred not to disclose, noting she has a relatively low IQ and struggles to understand the implications of her actions.
Despite her difficulties, she was involved in intensive work at Low Newton Prison.
The court sentenced her to 24 weeks in prison for these breaches.
