ANTHONY COOMBES FROM PEMBROKE CAUGHT WITH INTERNET-WIPING SOFTWARE IN PEMBEROKE
| Red Rose Database
Pembroke Child Sexual Abuser
In a serious development in the ongoing efforts to monitor and control sex offenders, Anthony Coombes, a resident of Pembroke, was recently apprehended by law enforcement authorities for possessing software designed to erase internet history from his mobile device. The incident took place just months after Coombes had been released from court, highlighting the persistent challenges faced by the justice system in ensuring compliance with court orders.
Coombes, aged 22, was already under a suspended prison sentence at the time of his latest arrest. His previous convictions involved engaging in sexually explicit conversations with individuals he believed to be young girls aged 12 and 14. These actions led to his being subject to a sexual harm prevention order (SHPO), which was intended to restrict his online activities and prevent further offenses. Despite these restrictions, law enforcement officials found evidence suggesting that Coombes was attempting to circumvent the restrictions imposed upon him.
On the morning of February 4, police officers visited Coombes’ residence in Pembroke, specifically his home on Colley Court in Monkton. During the search, Coombes handed over a Huawei mobile phone. An initial inspection of the device revealed that its internet browsing history was limited to that very day, raising suspicions about potential tampering. A more detailed forensic analysis uncovered that the phone contained an application with a data-erasing function, which could be used to delete browsing history and other stored data. Additionally, investigators discovered an email account registered under the pseudonym “Bennypern,” which Coombes had created.
This was particularly concerning because the existing court order explicitly prohibited Coombes from deleting his internet history or using aliases when setting up email accounts. During police interviews, Coombes claimed ignorance of these restrictions, asserting that the cleaning app was pre-installed on the secondhand phone he purchased. He also admitted to creating the alias email address but insisted it was solely for use with his Xbox gaming console, denying any malicious intent.
Anthony Stephen Joshua Coombes, who resides at Colley Court, Monkton, Pembroke, had previously pleaded guilty to breaching the conditions of his sexual harm prevention order when he appeared before the court for sentencing. The court was informed that in October 2021, Coombes received a 12-month prison sentence, suspended for two years, after being convicted of attempting to communicate sexually with a child, possessing indecent images of a child, and failing to comply with sex offender notification requirements. These offenses involved Coombes contacting what he believed to be two young girls aged 12 and 14 via the Chat Hour website, engaging in sexual conversations, and requesting intimate photographs. However, these profiles were actually decoy accounts operated by adult members of paedophile hunter groups, who later reported the activity to the police after discovering Coombes had been befriending real young girls on Facebook.
Further investigations revealed that officers found two indecent images of girls aged between eight and twelve on Coombes’ phone, which had been downloaded from the Kik messenger app. Following his guilty plea in August of the previous year, the case was adjourned for a pre-sentence report. Although Coombes was released on bail, he subsequently failed to register with police as required by law for sex offenders. It was also revealed that he held a conditional caution from 2017, when he was still a juvenile, for attempting to incite a child to engage in penetrative sexual activity and for sending indecent images, including pictures and videos of his own genitals, to girls aged 14 and 15.
Judge Paul Thomas QC addressed the court, stating that Coombes had been given a “merciful” sentence in October 2021 but had demonstrated no intention of complying with the court’s orders. As a result, the judge sentenced him to eight months in prison for breaching the sexual harm prevention order. Additionally, the court activated a 10-month suspended sentence from his previous conviction, which was to run consecutively, resulting in an overall sentence of 18 months. Coombes is expected to serve up to half of this period in custody before being released on license to serve the remainder in the community. The court also confirmed that the sexual harm prevention order remains in effect, continuing to restrict Coombes’s online activities and contact with minors.
Coombes, aged 22, was already under a suspended prison sentence at the time of his latest arrest. His previous convictions involved engaging in sexually explicit conversations with individuals he believed to be young girls aged 12 and 14. These actions led to his being subject to a sexual harm prevention order (SHPO), which was intended to restrict his online activities and prevent further offenses. Despite these restrictions, law enforcement officials found evidence suggesting that Coombes was attempting to circumvent the restrictions imposed upon him.
On the morning of February 4, police officers visited Coombes’ residence in Pembroke, specifically his home on Colley Court in Monkton. During the search, Coombes handed over a Huawei mobile phone. An initial inspection of the device revealed that its internet browsing history was limited to that very day, raising suspicions about potential tampering. A more detailed forensic analysis uncovered that the phone contained an application with a data-erasing function, which could be used to delete browsing history and other stored data. Additionally, investigators discovered an email account registered under the pseudonym “Bennypern,” which Coombes had created.
This was particularly concerning because the existing court order explicitly prohibited Coombes from deleting his internet history or using aliases when setting up email accounts. During police interviews, Coombes claimed ignorance of these restrictions, asserting that the cleaning app was pre-installed on the secondhand phone he purchased. He also admitted to creating the alias email address but insisted it was solely for use with his Xbox gaming console, denying any malicious intent.
Anthony Stephen Joshua Coombes, who resides at Colley Court, Monkton, Pembroke, had previously pleaded guilty to breaching the conditions of his sexual harm prevention order when he appeared before the court for sentencing. The court was informed that in October 2021, Coombes received a 12-month prison sentence, suspended for two years, after being convicted of attempting to communicate sexually with a child, possessing indecent images of a child, and failing to comply with sex offender notification requirements. These offenses involved Coombes contacting what he believed to be two young girls aged 12 and 14 via the Chat Hour website, engaging in sexual conversations, and requesting intimate photographs. However, these profiles were actually decoy accounts operated by adult members of paedophile hunter groups, who later reported the activity to the police after discovering Coombes had been befriending real young girls on Facebook.
Further investigations revealed that officers found two indecent images of girls aged between eight and twelve on Coombes’ phone, which had been downloaded from the Kik messenger app. Following his guilty plea in August of the previous year, the case was adjourned for a pre-sentence report. Although Coombes was released on bail, he subsequently failed to register with police as required by law for sex offenders. It was also revealed that he held a conditional caution from 2017, when he was still a juvenile, for attempting to incite a child to engage in penetrative sexual activity and for sending indecent images, including pictures and videos of his own genitals, to girls aged 14 and 15.
Judge Paul Thomas QC addressed the court, stating that Coombes had been given a “merciful” sentence in October 2021 but had demonstrated no intention of complying with the court’s orders. As a result, the judge sentenced him to eight months in prison for breaching the sexual harm prevention order. Additionally, the court activated a 10-month suspended sentence from his previous conviction, which was to run consecutively, resulting in an overall sentence of 18 months. Coombes is expected to serve up to half of this period in custody before being released on license to serve the remainder in the community. The court also confirmed that the sexual harm prevention order remains in effect, continuing to restrict Coombes’s online activities and contact with minors.