'It's something most young people use' - Corby man in court after downloading Snapchat

A man repeatedly ignored the requirements of a court order designed to prevent him from engaging in sexually risky behaviour.

Jordan McIlhatton-Croll, of Arden Close, Little Stanion, has never been convicted of a sex offence, but has, breached a court order designed to stop him committing one ten times.

He was first taken to court back in February last year after police received serious allegations about his sexual behaviour. They did not charge him with an offence but asked magistrates to impose a sexual risk order.

These are civil orders designed to protect the public that curtail specific dangerous behaviour by suspects while police decide whether to charge someone.

The order banned McIlhatton-Croll, who was aged 17 then, but is now aged 19, from sending pictures of his genitals or from contacting anyone under the age of 16.

He was also prevented from physically touching anyone unless they gave him express permission.

But by April of last year, police suspected that McIlhatton-Croll had made contact with someone under 16 and took him back to court to impose stricter conditions on him.

Magistrates granted their application to force the defendant to disclose any intimate relationships he had formed and to ensure that he did not use any apps where the history was not fully retained, including Snapchat which auto-deletes messages. He was also ordered to show his devices to his supervising officer when required to do so.

The order was set to last for two years.

But in June, after moving to Judith Road in Kettering, he breached the sexual risk order twice and was taken to court. He admitted downloading Snapchat and failing to disclose relationships to the police. He was briefly held in custody but after his release he then failed to notify police of his whereabouts within three days, in breach of the terms of the sex offenders’ register.

Then, while on a curfew, he failed to return to his home address in time.

He was back in court in July last year to admit two further breaches of his sexual risk order, wherein he twice had contact with children under 16 while at his previous Gainsborough Road address.

He was given a community order which included unpaid work and rehabilitation activity days.

But in December last year he failed to turn up for his unpaid work and for a probation appointment and was given 20 weeks in prison by magistrates, who said he had ‘wilfully and persistently’ failed to fulfil the order.

He was back in court last week to plead guilty to five more breaches of the sexual risk order said to have taken place between September and December last year.

They included failing to notify his supervisory officer of relationships he had formed three times, and downloading Snapchat twice.

Prosecuting, Micaila Williams, said: “McIlhatton-Croll’s MOSOVO officer visited his home frequently and discussed the conditions with him.”

In August the officer seized his mobile phone and it was examined. It was discovered he’d been in touch with five people that he’d not informed his supervising officer about.

The the phone was triaged again in December and officers found he’d again been in touch with new people on dating apps and had downloaded Snapchat.

On December 19 he had been to a party and left the house with a young woman. He was later found at the address with her and was arrested.

McIlhatton-Croll’s barrister Stephen Garbett said that his client had never been convicted of any type of sexual crime.

He said: "His position is, if you think I’ve done these things then prosecute me.

"One of the allegations has been NFAed and the others are three or four years old.

"He’s had a difficult time in his life. He’s been in care for some time and he has some difficulty understanding what he needs to do and that’s led to this behaviour.

"He’s been doing something most young people do. Snapchat is something most young people use but it’s something he’s not allowed to use.

"He’s still a young person who’s still developing.”

He said that while McIlhatton-Croll had been in custody he had behaved himself and was hoping to get a job once he is released.

Sentencing, Recorder Jeremy Benson said: “Your supervision record makes for pretty dismal reading.

"It says ‘I’m doing what people my age do and I don’t see why I should be punished for it.

"What’s troubling is that you have turned your back on this order.

"When it was suggested you did unpaid work you were disinterested and you said if you were going to work you wanted to be paid for it.”

He gave McIlhatton-Croll a six month prison sentence, suspended for two years, 60 hours of unpaid work and 15 rehabilitation activity days. Recorder Benson said he was being given an ‘opportunity’ and that he must not be brought back to the court within two years else he would face prison.