A HOMELESS ‘high-risk’ sex offender breached a court order because he wanted to be sent back to prison.

Steve James, 28, breached his Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) by purchasing a phone capable of accessing the internet as well as failing to inform police where he was staying.

Oxford Crown Court heard on Tuesday (January 16) that the homeless man did so intentionally because he wanted help with his homelessness situation and ‘felt prison was the best option available to him’.

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Sentencing him to 36 weeks imprisonment, Judge Nigel Daly said: “You will be released shortly and I hope you will be able to get the assistance you need to get accommodation and assistance in the community that you obviously need.”

James was first convicted in 2017 and placed on the sex offenders register.

He then breached his order four times in 2020 and in 2021, he was convicted for using violence to enter a property in Botley Road where there was someone present who opposed said entry.

In 2022, he failed to comply with notification requirements before the breaches in December last year.

His charges also put him in breach of a 12-week prison sentence, suspended for 12 months, issued on October 30 last year.

On December 18, he attended St Alban’s Police Station and was arrested as he was ordered to inform police where he was every seven days.

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Upon arrest, he was also found with a Samsung Galaxy capable of accessing the internet which he bought a few days prior with his Universal Credit.

His barrister, George Joseph, said there was no suggestion there was any further offending found on the phone but that it was a ‘deliberate breach’ so he could be remanded into custody.

“He struggled at school and after his conviction in 2017 that’s when he life took a steep decline,” he said.

“He said he feels alienated due to the conviction and he feels like a monster because of it and he’s been struggling to get back on his feet ever since.”

Judge Daly expressed his concerns that James had access to the internet because despite no further offending taking place, he states James ‘could have been tempted’ to use the device to offend.

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sentenced James to 24 weeks imprisonment for the breach of the SHPO and activated the 12-week suspended sentence, making a total of 36 weeks imprisonment.

James will serve half of his sentence, meaning he is due to be released halfway through March.

A forfeiture order was also made for the mobile phone.