JAMES COOMBES SENT BACK TO PRISON IN NORTHAMPTON FOR SHPO BREACH

James Coombes, a 31-year-old man with a criminal history linked to sexual offenses, has been re-incarcerated following a violation of his Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO).

Coombes, who previously resided in Northampton, was convicted in 2016 of serious offenses involving the exploitation of a girl under the age of 13. His crimes included causing or inciting the young girl to engage in sexual activities and creating indecent images of children. As a consequence of his conviction, he was placed on the Sex Offenders’ Register, which mandated strict conditions to monitor and restrict his behavior after his release from prison.

Part of these conditions included regular, unannounced visits from Northamptonshire Police’s MOSOVO Team, a specialized unit tasked with overseeing sex offenders. These visits could occur at any time, day or night, to ensure compliance with the terms of the SHPO. On February 10, the team conducted one such visit to Coombes’ residence in Northampton. During their inspection, they examined his electronic devices and discovered that he had used software designed to clean or erase data from his computer.

Further investigation revealed that Coombes had deleted approximately 4.3 gigabytes of data, which he claimed was to remove gaming files. However, the use of such data-clearing software was explicitly prohibited under the conditions of his SHPO. This breach led to his immediate arrest and subsequent charging with violating the terms of his order.

At Northampton Magistrates’ Court last week, on February 11, Coombes pleaded guilty to the breach. The court sentenced him to a year in prison, reaffirming the seriousness with which violations of sex offender restrictions are treated. This case underscores the ongoing efforts by law enforcement to monitor and enforce compliance among individuals with a history of sexual offenses, especially in communities like Northampton where such cases have significant public concern.