MARK INNES AND RESTRICTIVE SOCIAL MEDIA OFFENDERS IN ABERDEEN
A convicted sex offender from Aberdeen, Mark Innes, 31, committed a new breach of the law immediately following his release from prison, this time by creating a TikTok account, which was a clear violation of the restrictions imposed upon him.This incident has raised concerns about compliance with offender management protocols and the ongoing risk posed by individuals with a history of sexual offenses.
Innes had previously been convicted in Aberdeen at the city’s sheriff court back in July 2020 for four separate offenses.
His crimes included two counts related to inappropriate sexual communication with a minor, alongside two charges of revenge porn.
The court sentenced him to nine months in prison, but more significantly, he was also mandated to comply indefinitely with the requirements of the sex offender register.
These conditions explicitly prohibited him from establishing or using social media accounts, a stipulation he is accused of breaching.
According to prosecutor Steven Ball, during a hearing at Carlisle Crown Court, police intelligence for the latest case was provided by Police Scotland on July 1, 2023.
Officers confirmed that Innes was residing temporarily with his girlfriend in the Carlisle area at that time, although his primary residence remains in Aberdeen, where he continues to be supervised by offender managers.
When officers from Cumbria conducted a compliance check and visited Innes at his temporary address, he surrendered a Samsung mobile phone to them.
The investigation revealed troubling activity on his phone, specifically access to a site believed to be linked to child sex abuse.
On June 12, Innes had reportedly accessed this site via Google five times, and he had also visited the Telegram messaging platform the same day.
Further forensic examination of his device uncovered evidence that he had created several social media accounts, with the first being a TikTok account established precisely on the day he was released from custody on May 9.
Subsequently, he set up an Instagram account on May 31, followed by another account on a different messaging app several weeks later.
Innes’s legal history is extensive; he was recalled to prison on licence in March 2022 but was released again on May 9, 2023.
During interviews with police, he admitted to using Telegram and participating in a chat group where adult pornography was shared.
He described how he had clicked on a link that resulted in the automatic download of four indecent images of children.
Although he claimed to be disgusted by what he had seen and stated his intention was to report the material anonymously, law enforcement officials found that he had visited the site multiple times, last doing so to delete the content.
Innes could not convincingly explain why he believed he was accessing adult content, especially given the misleading site name.
He maintained that some images downloaded automatically and that these visits were accidental, though police judged his explanations as inconsistent.
It was also admitted that he had failed to inform authorities of his newly created social media accounts within the three-day reporting window, mistakenly believing that providing his email credentials had fulfilled his legal obligations, despite the accounts being registered under pseudonyms.
During court proceedings, Innes faced multiple charges, including four counts of breaching notification requirements and three counts of making indecent images of children.
Of these, 22 images fell into the most serious category, Category A.
After considering mitigation and the circumstances of his breaches, Recorder Kate Bex KC sentenced Innes to an immediate term of 16 months in prison.
He continues to be subject to the sex offender notification requirements.
Additionally, he is subject to a new sexual harm prevention order that imposes 19 conditions, which will remain in effect for the next 10 years, emphasizing the ongoing monitoring and restriction measures designed to protect the community from potential reoffending in Aberdeen.
