January 2018 Sex crime pensioner jailed for having smartphone A PENSIONER has been sent back to prison after being caught with a ‘covert’ undeclared phone just days after being released from jail on licence for a sex crime. Portsmouth Crown Court heard Brian Pepper was released 20 months into a four-year prison sentence after being caught in a police sting. As reported, the 67-year-old grandfather, from Gosport, had arranged to meet someone who he thought was a 13-year-old girl at a Burger King in Havant. Instead he was met by police who found sado-masochistic restraints – including ropes, cords and belts – vodka and wine in a holdall in the footwell of the car. He was jailed in March 2016 – but was back in court last week after failing to tell his supervising police officer he had signed a contract for a smartphone. Pepper is subject to strict monitoring conditions that mean he has to tell officers of any internet-enabled device. But when he was spoken to October 25, he only showed police he had an Alcatel ‘dumb phone’ – but failed to say he had signed a contract for a smartphone the day before. James Kellam, prosecuting, said it was only discovered when his home was searched by police after he was investigated for another offence. ‘On November 1 he was questioned in connection with unrelated matters,’ Mr Kellam said. ‘His home was searched and a contract for a mobile phone was discovered. ‘It was not the phone that he told police about, it was a smartphone.’ Sentencing, judge David Melville QC handed Pepper a 16-month sentence to run concurrent to the current term for the sting operation. Pepper is subject to recall until October 2019. He said when the offender manager explained the sexual harm prevention order terms to Pepper he did not ‘seem to take them very seriously’. Pepper, of Stakes Road, Waterlooville, admitted breaching the order at court. March 2016 Grandfather jailed for trying to arrange sado-masochistic sex with schoolgirl A GRANDFATHER was found with a sickening horde of restraints and alcohol in his car as he waited to meet a ‘13-year-old girl’ for sex. Brian Pepper, 65, of Homer Close, Gosport, admitted attempting to incite a child to engage in sexual activity and attempting to meet a child following sexual grooming. Portsmouth Crown Court heard Pepper was snared following a covert online operation by police officers working in the Internet Child Abuse Team and the South East Regional Organised Crime Unit, who set up a fake online profile of a schoolgirl following complaints from parents about him contacting their daughters. Pepper believed he had been talking to a 13-year-old girl over three weeks between September and October last year. He repeatedly asked the girl to meet up with him until they eventually arranged to meet at Burger King, in Havant, on October 14. He had booked a hotel in Arundel, 20 miles away. Instead he was met by police officers who found the sickening stash of sado-masochistic restraints – including ropes, cords and belts – vodka and wine in a holdall in the footwell of the car. He has been sentenced to four years for incitement and 12 months, to run concurrently for attempting to meet a child for sexual grooming. Pepper is also subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order and will be on the sex Offenders Register for life.