June 2015 Serial child sex offender jailed A serial child sex offender was jailed for 17 months for accessing indecent images on computers in Cheltenham library just eleven days after a court prohibited him from doing so, a court heard. Bernard Hemmingway, 50, of Griffiths Avenue, Cheltenham had “a long history of sexual offending,” Gloucester Crown Court was told today. Prosecuting barrister Christopher Smythe said: “He was first convicted of indecently assaulting a boy under the age of 14 in 1983 and has a number of subsequent convictions for similar offences in 1996, 1998, 1999, 2011 and 2013.  “Custodial and sexual offences prevention orders have been imposed in the past, which have been breached on occasions. “He has also been convicted of downloading indecent images of children. “Part of the SOPO imposed on him was not to use any device capable of accessing the Internet but on 38 occasions he accessed computers in Cheltenham library. “On one occasion a library assistant saw him looking at a screen which had the image of an erect penis on it. “It was found he had been searching sites such as Cheap Boys, Star Boys, Young Boys and those with more explicit titles.” Defending barrister Jonathan Lewis said: “My client has engaged well on his suspended sentence order and wants to stop offending. “His offences at first were very serious but they have become less serious and many of the searches made on the computers in Cheltenham library were innocuous. “But I accept he has a high risk of re-offending and still has a preoccupation with this sort of material.” His Honour Judge William Hart said: “Thirty-two years ago you commenced a history of contact sexual offending and possessing indecent images of children, for which you have been jailed. “A sexual offences prevention order was made in extensive terms and you received a 12-month prison sentence in November 2013 for three breaches. “In November 2014 you received a suspended jail sentence for a further two breaches but within just eleven days of that order being made you went to Cheltenham library and proceeded to access the Internet on a computer which did not have a risk management software installed. “You then accessed indecent material repeatedly. “You have showed a flagrant disregard for the terms of the order and immediate custody is unavoidable.” Hemmingway was jailed for a total of 17 months.