JOSH DE-BANKS IN BREACH OF SEX OFFENDER RULES IN SOUTHAMPTON

JOSH DE-BANKS IN BREACH OF SEX OFFENDER RULES IN SOUTHAMPTON

A sex offender, Josh De-Banks, violated strict conditions that prohibited him from using Facebook by logging onto the social media platform and searching for his former victim.

De-Banks was subject to a sexual harm prevention order which barred him from accessing Facebook, a restriction he was unaware of when he logged in.

The order was initially imposed after De-Banks admitted to sending sexually explicit images to a young boy in 2019.

Despite this, the 21-year-old was later jailed for breaching the order when he made contact with the same boy.

After his release in Southampton, court proceedings revealed that De-Banks was soon caught with a mobile phone.

Upon inspecting the device, police discovered that he had been using Facebook.

Further investigation uncovered searches for the profiles of eight individuals, including the young victim who received the explicit images, as well as members of his family.

During the court hearing, defense lawyer Richard Tutt explained that De-Banks, who had been recalled to prison on licence due to his previous breach, had earned enhanced prisoner status while incarcerated and was studying law.

Tutt also highlighted that De-Banks had a difficult upbringing, having been in care from the age of four, and was still coming to terms with his background at the time of his initial offence.

De-Banks, whose address at the time of the breach was listed as Vanguard Road in Southampton, was sentenced to 15 months in prison after pleading guilty to one count of breaching the sexual harm prevention order.