A DAD-OF-TWO previously jailed for attempting to have sex with a 14-year-old girl is back behind bars after failing to comply with the terms of a court order while on parole.

At Gloucester Crown Court Gordon Ward admitted three charges of breaching a sexual harm prevention order that had been made at Swindon Crown Court in July 2018.

The 43-year-old was sentenced to two years and three months imprisonment for his original offences – arranging to meet a 13-year-old girl in a garage kitted out as a bedroom in Swindon.

He was released on licence from his sentence on May 22, 2019 and acquired a mobile phone the following day, the court heard yesterday.

He failed to inform the relevant bodies that he had acquired an internet-enabled mobile phone, he deliberately deleted his internet browsing history and he used Google and Huawei cloud facilities to store files and photographs.

The prosecutor George Threlfall said: “Between the day of his release and his arrest in December he was in constant contact with police and probation officers but he failed to inform them he had the use of an internet-enable phone.

“This sorry saga began with a tip off from a concerned resident giving police cause for concern. The police made an unannounced visit to his home address in Cheltenham on December 19.

“The officers found a number of devices at Ward’s home address.

“An examination of the mobile phone revealed that Ward had deleted his internet browsing history. He also had emails dating back to the day he acquired the phone.

“Ward also didn’t initially tell the police that he had opened a bank account with a card that could be used on the internet.

“Ward had been seeing his probation officer and police liaison officer since he was released from prison but had failed to inform them he was in possession of a phone and other devices.”

Defending, Ranjit Sandhu said: “There was no evidence of anything inappropriate on the devices, no social media or similar or indecent images found on his phone or stored in the cloud.

“He wanted to access the internet to deal with professional people, the Benefits Agency and make purchases online from the likes of Amazon.”

The judge, Recorder Joanne Martin QC, interjected: “Ward committed a completely unnecessary offence. He omitted to tell anybody about his intentions.

“But the hiding of the devices makes it look dodgy.

“There is obviously an issue over his honesty – as there is over him obtaining internet-enabled phone so soon after release.”

Mr Sandhu added: “Ward had to leave the army because of a knee injury.

"He’s been a postman, a forklift driver until his health stated affecting him badly. He has a personality disorder.

“But fundamentally he has issues about being honest.

"His offending could have been avoided had he been upfront about what his intentions were and gone through the official channels.

“I admit Ward has issues, but he really needs help. What he did was stupid, but it was not the worst offending in the world.”

The judge sentenced Ward, of Winchcombe Street, Cheltenham, to 10 months in prison and ordered him to pay a victim surcharge of £149.