March 2015 Convicted paedophile recalled to prison after breaking SOPO A CONVICTED sex offender has been recalled to prison after it emerged he had been in contact in with young girls, having offered to help them build a rope swing. Michael Lower, 64, was jailed in 2005 for serious sexual offences against a child or children. He was given a five-year jail term with a ten-year extended licence period. At Truro Crown Court last Tuesday, Elaine Hobson, for the prosecution, said that on October 4 police were called to a park in Saltash where Lower had been with his golden retriever, Bonzo Lower, of Robartes Road, Bodmin, had spoken to three young girls, aged 8, 10 and 11, after one of them asked for help to mend a rope swing. Ms Hobson said Lower had come out of some bushes and asked one of the girls to meet him in a private place the following Saturday. “[He] yelled at the girl and told her not to tell anyone of this meeting,” said Ms Hobson. He admitted breaching a sexual offences prevention order (SOPO) imposed on him in 2005. That order banned him from being in the company of girls aged under 16 unsupervised. Joanna Martin, for the defence, said Lower had been out of prison on licence for six years before he had breached the SOPO. She said he had taken part in a sexual offences training programme in 2009 and had volunteered for a further training programme in prison. She said: “He describes himself as feeling very angry with himself for having had a fairly innocent discussion with a young girl and taking it further and agreeing to help them build a new rope swing the following week. He is working with himself.” The court heard that since the incident, his licence had been revoked and Lower had been recalled to prison. Sentencing him to nine months’ imprisonment, Judge Simon Carr said Lower had been interacting with children in such a way that would lead anyone to worry about his intentions.