a day ago
Blaenavon paedophile jailed for hiding mobile phone
Convicted paedophile Kieran O'Connor, 23, has persistently breached a sexual harm prevention order imposed in September 2020 after he contacted an 11-year-old girl.
He was locked up for 20 months in December 2023 after sending sexual messages to underage girls on Facebook.
O'Connor's latest offences took place last month when his flatmate tipped off the police, prosecutor Hannah Friedman told Newport Crown Court.
When officers arrived at the address, they discovered that the defendant had a Nokia smartphone he hadn't told them about.
He denied it was his before the phone was found hidden in the flat's meter cabinet.
O'Connor had installed Snapchat and dating apps with his internet history deleted.
The defendant, formerly of Cwmbran, now of Riverside Drive, Blaenavon admitted three counts of breaching a sexual harm prevention order.
His offending took place on Wednesday, May 14.
O'Connor has five previous convictions for eight offences, including engaging in sexual communication with a child.
The defendant's barrister Jac Brown told the court that his client was realistic that an immediate prison sentence was inevitable.
His lawyer said: 'He was very candid in his police interview – he had tried to conceal the phone from them.
'I would ask that he be given the maximum credit for his early guilty pleas.'
Judge Eugene Egan told O'Connor: 'You have breached your sexual harm prevention order several times since it was imposed on September 9, 2020.
'You have appeared before court for doing so in April 2021, December 2021 and December 2023 – and here you are again today.'
He said the defendant had a 'proven track record' of ignoring the order and added: 'The only sentence that can be imposed today is one of immediate custody.
'This was a deliberate breach.'
O'Connor was jailed for 10 months and told that the time he has spent remanded in custody would count towards his sentence.
He should be released on licence at around the halfway point.
The defendant will also have to pay a victim surcharge.
