A convicted paedophile deliberately failed to abide by sex offender obligations, a Launceston Magistrate found today.
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Magistrate Ken Stanton sentenced Reginald Robert Young, 29, to two months jail for failing to comply with the terms of the Community Protection Offender Reporting Act.
He was released on parole on December 8, 2020 but breached within weeks. He is registered on the sex offender's register until 2044.
Police prosecutor Robert Shepherd said Young had approached a 21-year-old woman via Snapchat on December 23 saying "hello" and asking for her phone number, which was supplied.
On Christmas Day the woman received an image of Young via Snapchat with the caption "alone at Christmas".
Three days later she received another photo via the CPT Awesome Snapchat user name with the caption "Bored".
Mr Stanton said Young's extensive record stretching back to 2010 meant he had forfeited the right to private communication.
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He said that the user names had been previously used and there was only a small number of communications.
"You must have been aware of your obligations, you had just received extensive material clearly stating your obligations," he said.
I find that this was deliberate and not simply an oversight on your behalf.
- Magistrate Ken Stanton.
He said that while the woman was an adult at the time of the latest communications she had been not been when Young first met her via Facebook.
"There is a risk that those usernames and phone could have been used for further offending," he said.
Mr Stanton said it was important that the protective purposes of the register were upheld.
Defence counsel James Oxley said that Young had gone back into custody for breach of parole on January 16, 2021. He said Young was due to apply for parole on April 16, 2021.
Mr Stanton said the time served since January was not a case of double punishment but a natural consequence of the breach of parole.
"A penalty of imprisonment is appropriate and I sentence you to two months jail commencing today ," he said. He is not eligible for parole for two months.
Mr Oxley said Young had changed mobile phones and numbers because his old plan was too expensive when using the internet.
In 2017, Young received a four-year jail term after pleading guilty to two counts of sexual penetration of a young person under the age of 17 years. He met the 13 and 14-year-old girls on a social media website.
He was also sentenced in 2012 for two counts of sexual intercourse with a young person, aggravated sexual assault, indecent assault and being in the possession of child exploitation material.
In the 2017 case, Justice Robert Pearce ordered that Young's name be placed on the sex offender's register for 20 years from release. He said Young had a very high level of criminal culpability and emphasised the need for a sentence that gave priority to the protection of the public and punishment.
The Parole Board released Young on December 8, 2020 until December 2021 with conditions that he have no contact with children, no access to the internet and no contact with victims of the offending.
Under the order he was required to report any changes to his personal details within seven days of any changes including internet, instant messaging, chat room user names or any other user names or identity used or intended to be used.
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