Paedophile from Birchwood jailed after breaching court orders

Terry Yates was originally given another chance by the courts after being caught out by a paedophile hunting group.

He thought he was speaking to a 14-year-old girl who he told to look at his ‘little willy’ and asked her to send him photographs and videos of herself ‘giggling’ in her school uniform.

But the 41-year-old, who also sent naked pictures of himself, was actually speaking to a member of a paedophile group.

Back in September 2022, he was spared an immediate jail sentence to allow him to get the ‘help and treatment he needs’.

But he has since breached the court orders.

Yates, of Whitworth Close, Birchwood, appeared before Liverpool Crown Court via video link on Tuesday after pleading guilty to four offences of breaching his sexual harm prevention order and failing to comply with the terms of his Sex Offenders registration.

The court was told how on March 17 this year, officers attended Yates’ home and examined an iPhone which he had registered.

Yates told officers he had no other devices, but a search revealed he had a Samsung Galaxy under his duvet.

The defendant then admitted he had another phone in a drawer in his bedroom.

On one of the phones, a social media folder was found on his phone which contained a number of apps including Instagram, Snapchat, and Kik.

Yates told officers that he forgot to register the phones and claimed he did not understand the requirements of the orders.

Before passing sentence, Judge David Aubrey, KC, said: “It is not suggested that there was anything untoward, but you failed to inform the appropriate authorities that you were in possession of the phones.

“The Sexual Harm Prevention Order is there for a reason.

"You are deemed in consequence of your previous convictions a sex offender, so for the protection of the public, you have to be monitored.

“No sentence other than an immediate custodial sentence in justified.”

Yates was handed 19 months behind bars.