Paul Rogers (Image: Gwent Police)
Last Updated: 28 seconds ago
A convicted sex offender has been sentenced to 20 weeks in prison after admitting he created a TikTok account under a false name and deleted WhatsApp messages – both in direct violation of a court order.
Paul Rogers, 47, of Pencoed Avenue, Cefn Fforest, Blackwood, pleaded guilty to two counts of breaching a sexual harm prevention order at Cardiff Crown Court.
Sentencing
Recorder Barry Clarke handed Rogers a 20-week prison sentence and ordered him to pay a £154 surcharge.
The breaches
Prosecutor Abdallah Barakat told the court that Rogers’ most recent offending took place in February. He had registered a TikTok profile using a username that did not reflect his real identity – something expressly forbidden under the conditions of his SHPO. Rogers was also found to have deleted WhatsApp messages, another breach of the order’s terms.
Original conviction
The SHPO was imposed on Rogers in December 2018 alongside a suspended prison sentence following his conviction for attempting to engage in sexual activity with a child. His offending had come to light in 2017 when a child protection group running an online operation caught him. Rogers had believed he was communicating with a 13-year-old schoolgirl.
Pattern of breaches
The court heard that Rogers has repeatedly disregarded the restrictions placed on him. Mr Barakat said he had previous convictions for breaching sex offender notification requirements, receiving 16 weeks’ imprisonment in 2020 and 22 weeks in 2022.
The 2020 offence emerged during a separate investigation into an assault allegation, which revealed Rogers had been staying at a property in Merthyr Tydfil with a new partner for 25 days without informing police he had been away from his registered address for more than seven days.
Richard Ace, prosecuting in that earlier case, said: “The defendant made full admissions in interview. He accepted he knew the requirements and was happy with his new partner and hadn’t felt so happy in a long time. The defendant said he felt the relationship would end if she became aware if he was on the sex offenders’ register.”
