Michael Sutherland, a paedophile sex offender from Stoke-on-Trent, has been incarcerated for violating an order after being discovered in possession of severe pornography.
Michael Sutherland, 31, of no fixed address, received a two-year jail sentence at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court on Tuesday, June 24, after confessing to violating his Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) three times between December 2020 and January 2022.
The ruling forbade Michael Sutherland from erasing his internet activity and utilising any program that fails to document internet history.
His device had three static images and two animated images of extreme pornography.
Michael Sutherland was previously convicted in December 2017 for sexual grooming and persuading a juvenile to participate in sexual behaviour, resulting in a 20-month imprisonment. Consequent to this conviction, he was registered on the Sex Offenders’ Register for a duration of 10 years and subjected to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) for the same timeframe.
In December 2022, officers from our sex offender management unit confiscated his phone, which was then forwarded for forensic analysis. Subsequently, in addition to the pornography, we observed that Michael Sutherland had erased hundreds of messages from Facebook and instant chat. He had moreover accessed Snapchat. Authorities also discovered an encryption application on the smartphone.
Following Michael Sutherland’s sentencing, PC Kate Callaghan of our sex offenders management unit, said: “Michael Sutherland knew his activities were in clear breach of his order and acknowledged this in interview.
“I am pleased he admitted his offending in court and was handed a custodial sentence.
“Officers continue to work tirelessly to monitor and assess those convicted of sexual crimes to ensure we do all we can to prevent re-offending and protect the public from harm.”
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