A PEEPING Tom breached a court order requiring him to register digital devices with the police – within days of a judge imposing it for a string of voyeurism offences.

Detectives visited Carl Ford’s Didcot home after a tip off linking him to a suspended attempted voyeurism offence.

It came after he was given a suspended prison sentence in December by a judge in Chelmsford for 17 charges including going out at night and filming two people through the windows of their homes.

As part of the sentence, he was given a sexual harm prevention order requiring him to register internet-enabled devices like phones and even smart TVs with the police.

When they went round to his home, the officers found a Lenovo laptop, memory stick and PlayStation 4 that hadn’t been logged with them.

Prosecutor Robert Lindsey told Oxford Crown Court on Friday that the devices were being analysed by police specialists to check there was no illicit material on them.

Ford, of Aspen Way, Didcot, pleaded guilty at the magistrates’ court to three breaches of his sexual harm prevention order and admitted breaching his suspended sentence.

Oxford Mail: File image of Oxford Crown Court Picture: ED NIXFile image of Oxford Crown Court Picture: ED NIX (Image: Oxford Mail)

Sentencing him, Judge Michael Gledhill QC told the convicted sex offender: “You’re now 29 years old.

“You are intelligent, you have a child, you have a job and yet you are prepared to throw all that away by keeping three electronic devices in your possession days after you were sentenced at Chelmsford Crown Court for no less than 17 offences.

“I’m looking at your criminal record and the list of those offences is extremely disturbing.

“Your behaviour was thoroughly disgusting and the effect upon the victims – two specifically in your case at night going and watching private acts through their home windows – is appalling.”

Derek Barry, mitigating, asked the judge to give his client a final chance.

The ‘damaged’ young man had had a terrible childhood that saw his father, now a convicted sex offender, subjected him to torture-like physical abuse.

“Perhaps he’s a young man who should have known better, needs help to become better and perhaps custody wouldn’t assist the rehabilitation which society needs in the long term,” Mr Barry said. Having been remanded for a week, Ford had ‘heard the clang of the prison gates’.

Oxford Mail: Carl Ford failed to tell the police about a PlayStation in his possession. File image: PEXELSCarl Ford failed to tell the police about a PlayStation in his possession. File image: PEXELS

Sentencing him to 14 days imprisonment, which he had effectively already served on remand, Judge Gledhill said: “When I came into court before I’d heard Mr Barry’s mitigation, I intended to activate the suspended sentence and double it. You understand that? 31 months was the sentence I was going to impose.

“But I have changed my mind with some degree of reluctance.

“You have not as far as I am aware committed any of the same type of offences you were sentenced for; you simply had not fulfilled your duties under the sexual harm prevention order to tell the police you had those items and surrender them.

“In those circumstances I am going to allow the judge’s order at Chelmsford to continue. You still have the rehabilitation activity requirement, Horizon programme and unpaid work.”

He added: “You have accommodation, you have a job, you have responsibility to your partner or former partner and child.

“I am giving you a chance. Now, if you reoffend no doubt the judge will not take such a lenient view and the ball is very much in your court. If you reoffend then you know what is going to happen to you.

“If you don’t, then hopefully you can put this matter behind you.”

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