A REGISTERED sex offender who admitted using a mobile phone and accessing social media, despite being banned by the courts from doing so, has been handed a suspended prison sentence.

Andrew Charles Berry, of Christchurch Road, Bournemouth, appeared at Poole Magistrates Court on Friday. (May 4)

The 58-year-old admitted using his mobile phone in incognito mode, between August 24 and November 15, last year, in breach of a sexual harm prevention order made at Bournemouth Crown Court on July 21, 2017.

Prosecuting, Nicola Reece told the court Berry had been banned from doing this, as it is a mode which doesn’t retain any history of what can be accessed on a device.

Ms Reece added: “We are not suggesting he has accessed stuff he shouldn’t, we just don’t know as it is not being retained.”

Berry also admitted two other breaches of a sexual harm prevention order, which was using Facebook and Twitter during the same period.

In addition, he admitted failure without reasonable excuse to comply with the sex offenders register, by not notifying police about details of a Barclays Visa Card he owned, within the specified three days.

District Judge Stephen Nicholls sentenced Berry to ten weeks imprisonment on each of the three initial breaches, to run concurrently, and one month, also concurrent, for failing to report the bank card.

Suspending the sentence for 18 months, Judge Nicholls warned Berry he would face an immediate custodial sentence if he breached any further conditions of his sexual harm prevention order.

Berry was also ordered to pay £115 victim surcharge and £85 costs.

Last year Berry appeared in court after downloading indecent images via a smartphone app.

On that occasion he was sentenced to a 24-month community order, and also made subject of a sexual harm prevention order for five years.

He holds previous convictions for abusing a young girl in the 1990s.