(Image: Cleveland Police)
A sex offender was caught with an unregistered mobile phone when it rang in his pocket while he was speaking to police.
Matthew Hodgkiss had only recently left prison when officers visited his home and caught him lying, Teesside Crown Court heard.
The 49-year-old was issued with a ten-year sexual harm prevention order in 2021 after he was convicted of attempting to incite a child into sexual activity.
Hodgkiss was released from prison on September 7 after serving time for a previous breach of his SHPO, a judge heard.
Just over a week later, he was arrested for failing to register another mobile phone.
Hodgkiss, of Middlesbrough Road, Middlesbrough, admitted breaching his sexual harm prevention order by failing to register his mobile phone.
Nick Ayres, mitigating, said the defendant had pleaded guilty to the offence and accepted responsibility at an early stage.
“He made no effort to dispose of the phone,” he said. “It was ringing in his pocket while the police were present.”
Judge Deborah Sherwin jailed Hodgkiss for two years because he posed a substantial risk of committing further sexual offences.
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She said: “You told the officer that you didn’t have a mobile phone, but that was rumbled when the phone in your jacket rang.
“That phone was seized but no images were found on it.
"Given the history of your offending and the repeated nature of the breaches of the court order, I am of the view that there is a substantial risk of you re-offending."
His 2021 conviction followed online messages to a decoy he believed was a 14-year-old girl, including requests for photographs and a sex act.