PAEDOPHILE JAILED FOR FOURTH BREACH OF SEXUAL HARM PREVENTION ORDER
A PAEDOPHILE has been jailed at the fourth time of asking after previously being spared jail on three separate occasions for sex offences.Riccardo Gargiulo previously walked free from court, despite being rumbled with almost three million images of children being sexually abused.
A sexual harm prevention order (SHPO) was put in place to limit his reoffending ability, but despite breaching this twice, he was again spared jail on two separate occasions.
Now, the 57-year-old is finally behind bars, having been sentenced at Liverpool Crown Court on Friday for two counts of breaching his SHPO, as well as one of breaching his suspended sentence.
Paul Blasbery, prosecuting, told the court that Gargiulo is a registered sex offender, having previously been given a suspended sentence in 2018 for having nearly three million indecent images of children.
He was also handed a 10-year SHPO, which the former IT technician breached by deleting the internet search history on his mobile phone, for which he was handed unpaid work for in July 2019.
A further breach resulted in another suspended sentence in June 2024 for possessing more vile images and engaging in sex chats under an online pseudonym without informing the police.
He walked free, only because of the dilly-dallying of Cheshire Police resulting in an inexplicable 17-month delay.
The defendant has now been jailed at the fourth time of asking however after breaching his SHPO for a third time.
In mitigation, Eve Salter, defending, said that her client, who now works as a parcel sorter, pleaded guilty at the first opportunity and made prompt admissions to the police.
The court also heard that Gargiulo is a carer for his 81-year-old mother, who has health issues, and that he himself has health conditions that require treatment.
He completed all of the punitive and rehabilitative elements of his suspended sentence and has undergone therapy, the court was told.
Before sentencing, recorder Jeremy Lasker said: “The court has no real alternative but to impose a sentence of imprisonment today, and you appear to be realistic about that.
Your offending can only be dealt with by way of an immediate custodial sentence.
There is clear evidence of the risk here, and these are serious breaches.” Recorder Lasker activated the suspended sentence and Gargiulo, of Watkin Street in Orford, was sentenced to 30 months in prison, to be served immediately.
His SHPO and his obligations to sign the sex offender register will continue to apply on his release from custody.
