A CONVICTED Carlisle-based sex offender snared several years ago by paedophile hunters has been brought back to court for breaching strict terms of two court orders made as part of his original sentence.

Muhammad Saleem, now aged 39, was punished in 2017 by a Newcastle Crown Court judge.

Then employed as a 32-year-old takeaway pizza chef, Saleem thought he was meeting a girl aged 13 after earlier illegal online contact.

Instead he was confronted in central Newcastle by members of a paedophile vigilante group.

The court heard Saleem, now of Orton Road, Carlisle, had attempted to groom what he thought was a schoolgirl online, requesting intimate images and engaging in lewd sexual chat. After his encounter with the vigilantes, Saleem tried to delete damning data from his mobile phone.

However, he was brought to court and jailed for 14 months.

As part of his punishment, he was told to comply with strict conditions imposed on his liberty as part of a sexual harm prevention order (SHPO). He was also made subject to sex offenders’ register notification requirements through which he must keep police informed of personal details and online use.

But at Carlisle Crown Court on Wednesday, Saleem admitted two new offences.

He pleaded guilty to breaching the SHPO, between March 27 and July 22 this year, by refusing to make an internet-accessible Samsung Galaxy mobile phone available for inspection in response to a request by police.

He also accepted flouting the notification requirements by creating and using a new Gmail account which he failed to register with police within three days of its creation. This was done between July 17 and August 8 this year.

After hearing submissions from Saleem’s barrister, Judge Michael Fanning adjourned the case ahead of sentence for the preparation of up to date background information. Kim Whittlestone, defending, said Saleem had been made subject to a community order during an earlier court appearance in March of this year.

“The court needs more information about you and your previous offending,” Judge Fanning told Saleem, who attended the hearing remotely over a video link from prison.

Saleem is due to be punished on September 30, and in the meantime he remains in custody.