A MAN breached a sexual risk order by deleting and reinstalling a social media app 105 times.

Thomas Wilkinson, 46, of North View, Aspatria, was given the five-year sexual risk order in June 2021, Workington Magistrates’ Court heard.

Pamela Fee, prosecuting, said the offender manager and a police officer had attended the defendant’s address for an unannounced visit on November 8 last year.

She said Wilkinson had presented the offender manager with a mobile phone. He said he had been using Instagram through Facebook, which he downloads and then deletes.

Ms Fee said this was a breach of the order.

An examination of the phone’s history showed Wilkinson had also been using Snapchat. Wilkinson said he downloaded the app and then deleted it.

The court heard that Wilkinson had installed and uninstalled Snapchat 105 times and Instagram 13 times.

During interview, Wilkinson accepted he owned the mobile phone and admitted he had breached the sexual risk order. He said he knew what the conditions were and he had been “really stupid”.

He said it was just for looking at content on the app and not for contacting females.

The defendant was further interviewed about repeatedly downloading and deleting Snapchat and Instagram but gave ‘no comment’ to the questions put to him.

Ms Fee said it was a “serious and persistent” breach of the order, “repeatedly deleting and reinstalling apps”.

She said the offences were probably not within magistrates’ sentencing powers.

Wilkinson pleaded guilty to two charges of breaching a sexual risk order.

Sean Harkin, defending, said: “It’s clearly a persistent breach. He made admissions to police when they undertook a visit. He said that’s what he had been doing.”

Magistrates sent the case to Carlisle Crown Court for sentence on March 17. A pre-sentence report will be prepared by the probation service.

Wilkinson was granted unconditional bail until his next court appearance.

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