Harold Blackburn

Harold Blackburn, a 65-year-old man from Eanam in Blackburn, has been sentenced to 12 months in prison for breaching a sexual harm prevention order imposed following his earlier conviction as a paedophile. The order, part of his 2022 sentence, required him to notify his offender manager within three days of creating any new social media or messaging accounts.

Blackburn was originally jailed for four years in 2022 after he sent sexual images of himself to an individual he believed to be a 12-year-old girl, who turned out to be a police decoy. This incident highlighted his deviant sexual interest in children, as reported in court proceedings at the time. Upon his release, the sexual harm prevention order was designed to monitor and restrict his online activities to prevent further offences.

In October 2023, Blackburn's probation officer raised concerns about his social media engagement, particularly as he was communicating with multiple women. On 19 October, officers from Lancashire Police investigated and discovered that Blackburn had downloaded the Zangi and Telegram messaging apps around 1 October without informing his probation officer as required. He was arrested shortly thereafter.

At Preston Crown Court, Samuel Eskdale, prosecuting, outlined the breach, noting Blackburn's failure to comply with the order's terms. Blackburn provided a prepared statement at the police station, admitting: 'I should have notified the police and I'm sorry.' His defence, represented by Anthony Horsfall, argued that Blackburn was remorseful and had not used the apps to contact children, but rather to speak with adults. Horsfall emphasised: 'The concern was that he had these apps, not that he was using them for anything untoward. There is no suggestion in this case he was using them to contact children.' He also mentioned Blackburn's lack of family support post-prison and an eviction notice from his flat.

Judge Heather Lloyd, delivering the sentence, rejected claims of forgetfulness, stating: 'It appears you downloaded these apps on or around October 1 and it wasn't until October 19 you were arrested. You were warned of the consequences of the breach when the sentence and sexual harm prevention order were imposed in 2022. This cannot be said to be a minor breach because it was a deliberate decision to download these apps and you cannot have forgotten over a period of three weeks to inform the police within three days, so there is an element of hiding.'

The case was reported by the Lancashire Telegraph, drawing on court records and statements from the proceedings. Lancashire Police provided archival images of Blackburn, underscoring the ongoing monitoring of sex offenders in the region.