John Keith Palethorpe

52, Male Custodial - 10m 2023-04-05

Scarborough, North Yorkshire

Offender ID: 319ade96-8a2b-478a-8917-88e9047c21a7

Offence Summary

John Keith Palethorpe, a convicted paedophile from Scarborough, was jailed for 10 months after breaching a sexual-harm prevention order by deleting internet history and failing to notify police of new accounts. This followed his prior sentence for attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child online.

Full Description

John Keith Palethorpe, 52, of Mount View Close, Scarborough, has been returned to prison for breaching conditions imposed following his conviction for serious online sex offences against children. Previously sentenced in December 2020 for attempted sexual communication with a 12-year-old girl, attempting to cause a child to engage in sexual activity, and attempting to cause a child to watch a sexual act, Palethorpe was subject to a strict sexual-harm prevention order and notification requirements upon his release on licence.

The breaches came to light during a routine unannounced visit by police monitoring officers to his home last year. Officers discovered that Palethorpe had deleted the KIK messenger app, a Google chat app, and several YouTube histories from his phone, all in violation of the order which prohibited the deletion of evidence of his internet use. Additionally, he had set up two new internet accounts, one under an alias, without notifying the authorities as required.

Prosecutor Brooke Morrison outlined these violations at York Crown Court, noting Palethorpe's prior convictions where he was caught by online paedophile hunters posing as children. In those incidents, the married offender attempted to instruct the 'girl' on performing a sexual act on herself and expressed a desire to meet her. A pre-sentence report from the Probation Service classified Palethorpe as a high-risk offender, highlighting his engagement in 'confessing and avoiding, trying to downplay these offences'.

Deleted chat and messenger apps, including KIK and Google chat.
Erased several YouTube histories.
Failed to report two new internet accounts, one using an alias.

Palethorpe's solicitor advocate, David Camidge, attributed the breaches to the offender's struggles with substance and alcohol misuse at the time, stating that he was now seeking help from mental-health and substance-abuse agencies in Scarborough. However, Judge Simon Hickey deemed immediate custody necessary, telling Palethorpe: 'Appropriate punishment can only be achieved by immediate custody because in my judgement you present a danger to the public.'

The court imposed a 10-month jail sentence on 5 April 2023, with Palethorpe required to serve half in custody before release on licence. This case underscores the ongoing monitoring of sex offenders and the consequences of non-compliance with protective orders, as reported by The Scarborough News on 6 April 2023.

Location

City: Scarborough

County: North Yorkshire

Address: Mount View Close

Case Details

Police Force: North Yorkshire Police

Sentence Length: 10 months (Custodial)

Expected Release: September 2023
Guideline: two-thirds served for sentences ≥4 years; half otherwise (England & Wales). Estimates only.

Full Sentence End: February 2024
If served in full. Estimates only.

Name heritage (predicted origin)

Country: United Kingdom

Confidence: 95%

Special Thanks

A huge thank you to North Yorkshire Police for their tireless dedication in bringing this offender to justice. Your commitment and hard work truly help keep our communities safe, and we are deeply grateful.

Source: thescarboroughnews.co.uk

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