Mark Joseph Malner

A 38-year-old man from Carlisle, Cumbria, was remanded in custody after admitting to breaching an interim sexual risk order designed to protect a vulnerable 16-year-old girl. Mark Joseph Malner first came to the attention of authorities following investigations by Cumbria Police, who discovered his online communications with the teenager, a looked-after child assessed as vulnerable and living outside Cumbria.

The interactions began when Malner contacted the girl through an online game popular among children as young as seven. Court proceedings at Carlisle's Rickergate court revealed that there had been sexual interaction between them, which the prosecutor confirmed was consensual. Despite no prior history of offending and no evidence of harm to the girl, Cumbria Police successfully applied for an interim sexual risk order last week. This order imposed restrictions on Malner, including prohibiting any contact with the girl and requiring him to register certain personal details with police, such as his Facebook account information.

Prosecutor Diane Jackson informed the court that Malner had attempted to deceive police by instructing the teenager to provide false information to officers. Defence lawyer Jeff Smith argued that the contact was not illegal, only deemed inappropriate by police, and noted that the girl had since entered a new relationship and no longer wished to communicate with Malner. Smith described the proposed order as 'ridiculous' and highlighted Malner's autism, suggesting he preferred to stay at home and had no intention of complying because he disagreed with the evidence.

However, shortly after the interim order was approved by District Judge Philip Holden, Malner defied it by emailing the girl, asking if she would like him to visit and remove her from her current living area. He also admitted to two counts of failing to comply with the sex offender registration process by not disclosing his personal details and Facebook account to police. The judge remarked, 'It is plain that you didn’t listen to what the police were telling you – to stay away from the protected person, in this case the 16-year-old female, who was vulnerable and in care.'

Malner was remanded in custody pending a background report, with his sentencing hearing scheduled for 8 January and a final hearing on whether a full sexual risk order is required set for 23 March next year. Although not convicted of any sexual offence, the conditions applied due to the assessed sexual risk he posed.