A sex offender from Wimblington has been handed a ten month suspended sentence for breaching a previous court order after a routine check at his home uncovered further indecent images of children on his laptop and computer.

Mel Simpkins, of Eastwood End, was visited on December 16 last year (2018) by officers from the north-based Public Protection Unit (PPU) as part of a routine check on registered sex offenders who are managed by the unit.

On this visit to Simpkins' home, five files were found in the 'recycle bin' of Simpkins' computer; deleting internet history is a direct breach of his Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO). One of these files was deemed to be an indecent image of a child.

Simpkins, 23, was placed on the Sex Offenders Register in 2017 after being convicted of possessing indecent images of children.

DC Jim Howard, from the northern PPU, said: "All registered sex offenders in our county are allocated to a member of our PPU team to be monitored.

"Part of this includes carrying out unannounced visits at their home address, accessing their electronic devices and speaking with them about their daily activity."

On further investigation it was found Simpkins had deleted other content from his laptop, including four indecent images and had also used alias names, which was a breach of the notification requirements of being on the Sex Offenders Register.

DC Howard added: "These requirements are in place to protect children and that is why we visit them so regularly to prevent reoffending."

Simpkins, of Eastwood Avenue, Wimblington, pleaded guilty to possession of an indecent image of a child, breaching his SHPO and failing to comply with the notification requirements of the Sex Offenders Register.

He was sentenced at Cambridge Crown Court on Friday (August 23) to ten months in prison, suspended for two years.

Anyone who is concerned someone may have been convicted of a sex offence, and could be posing a risk to someone, can apply for disclosure information through Clare's Law and Sarah's Law.

More information on sexual offences and the Sex Offenders Register can be found on the force website.