A convicted sex offender was apprehended erasing his internet history on his mobile device shortly after its return from law enforcement.
Repeat criminal Ronald Harcourt was incarcerated in 2019 for over two years after being discovered with a pill concealed in a wash house.
In 2014, he received a protracted ten-year term following the disclosure of his involvement in a global network trafficking child abuse photographs.
Harcourt, who shared indecent images with other paedophiles, had a collection of almost 4,000 images on his phone.
As a result of his latest offence, the 60-year-old, who was recalled on licence following his arrest, was sentenced to another eight months in prison.
Nigel Soppitt, prosecuting, said the defendant had deleted the browser history on his mobile phone shortly after getting it back.
Harcourt, of Raithwaite House, Helmsley Drive, Guisborough, pleaded guilty to breaching his sexual harm prevention order following his arrest on May 5 last year.
Simon Walker, mitigating, told the court that it could not be ascertained what he had deleted but reminded the judge of the short period of time his client had been in possession of his mobile phone.
Judge Jonathan Carroll said: “Having deleted your search history on the same day you received it back there was very little time for you to have committed any further offending.
“It still leaves the question what it was that you were so keen to erase.”
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