LEE PATTERSON SENTENCED IN NORWICH FOR OFFENSIVE ONLINE POSTS
A convicted sex offender named Lee Patterson, 23, was found to have posted indecent material on a secret Twitter account he had created, Norwich Crown Court heard.Patterson was under a sexual harm prevention order that required monitoring of his internet activity.
A vigilant probation officer identified that he had established a covert Twitter profile and subsequently discovered he was using an email account that the authorities were unaware of, the court was told.
Prosecutor Peter Gair explained that police were informed of the find, leading to the discovery that Patterson had uploaded two messages containing indecent material on his Twitter account, including one that was a live-stream video.
It was also uncovered that Patterson had access to a mobile phone which he had not disclosed.
He claimed he had thrown the phone down a drain upon realizing he had been caught, which prevented police from determining what he had been accessing on it.
During police interviews, Patterson admitted he did not comply with orders because he loved engaging with social media.
The court was informed he had previously been jailed for 16 months in March 2020 for a prior breach and had now been recalled to prison.
Patterson, who was living without a fixed address, pleaded guilty to two charges of sending grossly offensive indecent material via electronic communication, as well as breaching his sexual harm prevention order and notification order back in December 2020.
He is already registered on the sex offenders' register for life.
Judge Maureen Bacon sentenced him to two years in prison, commenting, "You are a persistent offender.
You are unable to restrain yourself even though court orders have been put in place." She described his behavior as devious, noting his continued offending despite known restrictions.
The judge added, "When you knew the heat was on and police were coming, you threw the phone away." Defence solicitor David Stewart described Patterson as a vulnerable, isolated young man who struggles to cope on his own.
