Simon Wilders, a convicted paedophile from Cambridge, has been imprisoned following a police examination of his mobile phone, which uncovered his access to indecent photos of minors.
On 1 December 2024, professional police responsible for managing sexual offenders visited Simon Wilders, 42, at his residence.
After two prior convictions for online offences related to children, Simon Wilders received a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) from Cambridge Crown Court in April 2021.
The SHPO mandated that he must refrain from utilising any gadget with internet connectivity unless it have the capability to record and exhibit the history of online usage.
During the visit, Simon Wilders admitted to officers that he had erased his mobile phone by restoring it to factory settings, so eliminating his internet search history and violating the SHPO.
Following this visit, police installed surveillance software on Simon Wilders’ mobile phone, as he was regarded as a high-risk offender.
One week later, the surveillance software alerted investigators that Simon Wilders had accessed an inappropriate film of a minor during the early hours of 7 December 2024.
The video Simon Wilders seen was classified as category A, the highest severe designation for child indecent photos or videos.
Further checks of Simon Wilders’ phone showed that he had been using two aliases in his online activity, further breaching his Sexual Offences Notification requirements by not registering these as alias names with police.
Simon Wilders, of Victoria Road, Cambridge, was arrested on 19 December 2024 and on Friday (11 April) at Huntingdon Law Courts, was jailed for one year and seven months after pleading guilty to making an indecent photograph / pseudo-photograph of a child.
He was also ordered to sign the Sex Offenders Register indefinitely and a new SHPO was made for ten years, to monitor any future offending.
DC Paul Evans, from the specialist management of sexual or violent offenders’ unit (MOSOVO), said: “Simon Wilders’ attempted to cover his tracks by deleting browsing history on his phone, but thanks to police monitoring software, we were alerted to this.
“Simon Wilders shows complete disregard for his sexual harm prevention order (SHPO) and notification requirements, which are in place to safeguard children.
“These new convictions reflect the serious sexual risk of harm he poses to children and I am pleased he is now behind bars.”
If you or anyone you know have been affected by the people highlighted in this article, then please report those individuals to the Police on 101 (999 if an emergency) or visit their online resources for further details of the options for reporting a crime. You can also make a report at Crimestoppers should you wish to be completely anonymous. There is help available on our support links page.