'Arrogant young man' jailed for court order breaches

Joseph Tobias Jacob Barber was described as an "arrogant young man" by a judge at Bournemouth Crown Court after he failed to comply with a restraining order and a sexual harm prevention order.

Barber, 21, added a woman on social media platform Snapchat and sent her a message on January 31, 2020, which he was not permitted to do after a restraining order was made in September 2019.

In August last year the defendant, of Castleton Avenue, Bournemouth, was found to be in possession of two USB sticks and an SD card.

He had not notified police three days in advance of having them as set out in a sexual harm prevention order made on June 15, 2020.

The court heard this five-year prevention order was made following an application at Poole Magistrates' Court rather than following a conviction for a relevant offence.

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Prosecuting, David Jenkins said that the complainant in the restraining order case received a notification on her phone saying a follow request on Snapchat had been made by an account which included a name that was linked to the defendant.

Later that day she received a further notification which said the account had sent her a message directly.

She reported this to police and Barber was arrested the following day. In interview, he denied setting up the account.

However, police enquiries found the IP address used when setting up the account and sending the message was linked to his home address.

Barber failed to attend a voluntary interview and was subsequently arrested in April 2020. He denied the offence again but was charged.

A victim impact statement read by Mr Jenkins said that after the complainant received the notification she started crying straightaway.

She described being scared of the defendant and that she wanted him to leave her alone.

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Mr Jenkins said in August of last year, police arrested Barber following reports of another offence at his home.

A search of his bedroom was carried out, which found the two USB sticks and an SD card. It was subsequently confirmed these had not been notified to police in the correct fashion.

Barber pleaded guilty to the sexual harm prevention order breach in the magistrates' court. He had denied the restraining order breach before changing his plea as the case drew near to a crown court trial earlier this year.

Mitigating, Rose Burns said Barber "feels aggrieved" that a sexual harm prevention order was made as a one off order without being based on any conviction.

She described the defendant as a "highly intelligent young man" who would be best rehabilitated in the community.

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However, Judge Robert Pawson said only the only appropriate sentence would be one of immediate imprisonment.

The judge told Barber that "you had warning shots fired across your bows" with community orders for previous offences.

The defendant had shown a "flagrant disregard" for court orders, Judge Pawson ruled.

"You are an arrogant young man who thinks he can act with impunity," said Judge Pawson.

In relation to the sexual harm prevention order, the judge said the defendant had !quite deliberately" led the prosecution, defence counsel and the court on a "merry dance".

Judge Pawson jailed Barber for 12 months and issued a new five-year restraining order.

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