MICHAEL WOODWARD FROM ABERGELE JAILED FOR RESETTING MOBILE PHONE AFTER SEX OFFENDER ORDER VIOLATION

In a case that highlights ongoing concerns about the monitoring and management of convicted sex offenders, Michael Woodward, a resident of near Abergele, has been sentenced to prison once again for tampering with evidence related to his previous offences. The incident occurred in February 2019, when North Wales Police conducted an unannounced visit to his residence in Cae Glas, Llanfair TH.

During the police inspection, officers requested to see Woodward’s electronic devices, as part of the conditions set by his previous conviction and the associated Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO). Woodward handed over a mobile phone, but officers quickly discovered that he had reset the device to its factory settings, effectively erasing all data stored on it. This action was a clear breach of the strict terms of his SHPO, which explicitly prohibited him from deleting browsing history or any other data from devices connected to the internet, and required him to make such devices available to police upon request.

Richard Edwards, the prosecutor in the case, explained that Woodward had told officers he intended to sell the phone and purchase a new one. However, further investigation revealed a more troubling picture. The police found that Woodward had been sending text messages to multiple women, including a teenage girl aged 16. These messages were located on a phone that was not connected to the internet, raising questions about his attempts to conceal his communications.

It was also revealed that had the police not intervened when they did, Woodward might have attempted to arrange a meeting with the teenage girl, which would have constituted a serious breach of his restrictions and potentially led to further criminal activity. The court heard that the messages were part of a pattern of inappropriate communication, and that Woodward’s actions demonstrated a blatant disregard for the conditions of his previous sentence.

Woodward’s criminal history includes a prior conviction from 2006, when he was given a community order for similar offences. He was released from prison in June 2016 but was recalled to custody just a month later after it was discovered that he had secretly purchased a second mobile phone, again breaching the terms of his SHPO.

In sentencing, Judge Huw Rees emphasized the importance of accountability and the need to protect the public from individuals who repeatedly violate court orders. He sentenced Woodward to 10 months in prison, underscoring that choices made in life have consequences, and that the court must uphold the integrity of its orders to prevent further harm.