July 2019 Sex offender lied about phone with internet capability A pervert with a conviction for child sexual abuse images offences produced an old Nokia phone with no internet capability when police carried out a compliance visit. Blackburn magistrates heard officers investigating another matter two months later found a Samsung smart phone in Abdul Muhit’s flat. And a brief examination showed he had used the phone the day before the compliance visit and the day after. “He cannot say he had forgotten about it,” said Catherine Allan, prosecuting. Muhit, 33, of Burns Street, Burnley, pleaded guilty to breaching a sexual harm prevention order by failing to make available a device capable of accessing the internet. He was jailed for a total of eight weeks after the court heard the offence put him in breach of a suspended sentence imposed for a previous breach of the same order. Miss Allan said there had been three previous failures to comply with the order culminating in the suspended sentence. “This was a deliberate breach,” said Miss Allan. “He lied to the officers who carried out the compliance visit in May and eventually admitted he had owned the phone since February.” March 2019 Child molester who was put on the sex offender register for life breached the requirements A child molester who was put on the sex offender register for life breached the requirements by not completing his annual check-in with the police. Blackburn magistrates heard Abdul Muhit did eventually go to the police station to confirm he was still at the same address but had no excuse for being late. Muhit, 32, of Burns Street, Burnley, pleaded guilty to failing to comply with the sex offender register. He was jailed for 24 weeks suspended for 18 months and ordered to pay £85 costs and £115 victim surcharge. The court heard Muhit was put on the register for life in 2011 for sexual activity with an underage girl. One of the requirements was that he registered his address with the police annually. He failed to do this on November 31, the due date, and didn’t turn up at the police station until January 9. Geoff Ireland, defending, said his client had lived at the same address for many years and there was no suggestion he was trying to avoid anything. “The police knew exactly where he was living,” said Mr Ireland.