JONATHAN FELL OF WORKINGTON SENTENCED FOR BREACHING COURT ORDERS IN SEX OFFENDER CASE

In July 2020, Jonathan Lewis Fell, a 22-year-old resident of Firth View Walk, Workington, was sentenced to six months in prison after being found guilty of breaching a court order that was specifically designed to restrict his access to the internet. This case is part of a series of legal issues stemming from Fell’s previous convictions related to serious sexual offences.

Fell’s criminal record dates back to December 2018 when he was convicted at Carlisle Crown Court on six separate charges. These included three counts of causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity, one count of publishing an obscene article, and two counts of downloading indecent photographs. His actions and convictions marked him as a serious sexual offender, and as part of his sentencing, he was subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) intended to prevent him from reoffending and to restrict his access to online content.

However, despite these restrictions, Fell was caught engaging in further misconduct. The court was informed that he had secretly kept a mobile phone capable of internet access, which he was not permitted to possess under the terms of his SHPO. The discovery of this illicit device occurred quite by chance during an interview with a worker from the Cumbria Probation Service in Workington on February 24. During the interview, the probation officer’s attention was drawn to the vibrating phone in Fell’s pocket. When questioned about the device, Fell initially denied having it but then admitted to possessing the phone, stating plainly, “I shouldn’t have had the phone. It’s as simple as that.”

Following this breach, Recorder Kathryn Pierpoint sentenced Fell to six months in prison. She issued a stern warning, emphasizing the seriousness of his repeated violations. “If you get yourself in any more trouble you know what will happen,” she stated. She pointed out that Fell had previously breached his SHPO four months earlier, and now, with this latest breach, he faced increasingly severe consequences. The judge warned that continued offending could lead to longer and longer prison terms.

Fell’s initial breach of the SHPO occurred in May of the previous year when he accepted an invitation to Sunday lunch, which involved him playing football with a child without supervision. This was a direct violation of the order, which explicitly forbade him from having any unsupervised contact with children. The court also heard that a psychological assessment had concluded Fell was suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). However, he had been unable to discuss or disclose any traumatic events that might have contributed to his condition, further complicating his rehabilitation.

During the sentencing, Recorder Pierpoint highlighted the gravity of Fell’s offences. She remarked, “You have been convicted of serious sexual offences… It was a deliberate breach because you knew you should not have had the phone and you were trying to hide it from the probation officer and offender manager.” The judge also noted that the latest breach was made more serious by the fact that it followed a previous violation, demonstrating a pattern of non-compliance and disregard for court orders meant to protect the public and prevent further harm.