A FORMER soldier from Carlisle has admitted flouting a sexual harm prevention order by deleting his internet history from his mobile phone.

A Carlisle Crown Court judge imposed a strict order on 51-year-old Paul Douglas Bailey in 2018 as part of a sentence for downloading child abuse images, publishing an obscene article, and stealing children’s underwear.

At the city’s Rickergate court, Bailey, of Linton Street, Carlisle, admitted committing the breach between October 1, 2020 and October 22 the same year.

Prosecutor Peter Bardsley said the offence came to light after police visited the defendant at his home and seized his internet-enabled Motorola phone. An examination of the pay-as-you-go phone was undertaken.

This confirmed that he had deleted WhatsApp messages and text messages.

When he was sentenced in July 2018 for his earlier offending, he was told that his sexual harm prevention order specifically prohibited him from deleting the internet history of  any device he may use or own.

Mr Bardsley said: “When he was asked about the phone, he confirmed that he had had it for two weeks. He confirmed that he had deleted some of the messages because they ‘just cluttered the phone up.’

“He said he had also received spam emails.” Mr Bardsley went on to explain that police found no evidence that the phone had been used to look at illegal images.

“But it was a deliberate breach, and he knew what he was doing.”

Andrew Gurney, defending, said the offence was very old and represented a “minor breach” of the court order. “He was stupid enough to try to save memory on his phone, and so deleted old emails,” said the lawyer.

Magistrates noted that the court gave Bailey a decade-long sexual harm prevention order in 2018, and he breached it two years later. They imposed a 12-month community order with 15 rehabilitation activity days.

They also imposed a £230 fine, with a £95 victim surcharge. The presiding magistrate warned: “If you breach any of these requirements again, or are convicted of another offence, you may be resentenced and that can include going to prison.”

The 2018 prosecution revealed how indecent images of children were found on Bailey’s computer, including one video classed in category A, the most serious. There was also evidence of how he engaged in "obscene social media conversations about the abuse of children."

The court was told about Bailey's 24-year Army service, described as a "distinguished" career that included tours of duty in Afghanistan and Iraq. When the Army wasn't able to offer him a full-time role, he joined the Territorial Army.

A probation officer and psychologist agreed Bailey had been going through a period of "emotional turmoil" when he committed the offences.

The defendant will be on the Sex Offender Register for another six years.