A CARLISLE man who formerly worked as a police officer north of the border has pleaded guilty to flouting his sexual harm prevention order.

Ryan David Anderson, 43, who was given the order after being convicted of possessing more than 700 indecent child images, is barred from using any internet enabled device unless he first notifies Cumbria Constabulary.

His sexual harm prevention order - imposed in 2020 - will remain in force until 2030.

The defendant, formerly of Edgehill Road, Carlisle, but now living in the Brampton area, was brought back to court for failing to tell the police he was using his mum’s mobile phone “to look for a new motorbike.”

Anderson pleaded guilty to the offence.

Read more: Cumbria Police stern warning after Police Scotland officer caught with 700 indecent child images

The charge states that the breach of his sexual harm prevention order was committed between May 29 and August 18. Prosecutor George Shelley told the city’s Rickergate court how the offence came to light.

The defendant is obliged, under the terms of the order he was given, to notify the police within three days of using any new device.

On August 20, he was subjected to a voluntary lie-detector test, when he disclosed using his mother’s mobile phone, which is internet enabled. Arrested as a result of that information, the defendant accepted having access to the phone for three months.

“He told the officers he used it to look on Facebook and on Autotrader, to make motorbike searches,” said Mr Shelley. An examination of the device corroborated that account, with terms such as “bike club” and “KC Superbike” being found.

John Smith, for Anderson, said the defendant’s mother depended on him “quite a lot,” and this included helping her with her phone. When questioned by the police during the voluntary polygraph test, he had been “perfectly honest.”

“He told them what he’d done,” said Mr Smith. There was no deletion of the phone’s iternet search history and Anderson clearly did not know that his actions were wrong, said Mr Smith.

Anderson said his own phone was a basic one for texting. He did have a laptop, but the police knew about it, he said.

Adjourning sentence until September 19 so that a background report can be prepared, District Judge John Temperley accepted no harm was caused by the offence.

But he asked for an "all options" pre-sentence report. The defendant was granted bail until his next court appearance.