John Willoughby

John Willoughby, a 53-year-old man previously from Towcester, Northamptonshire, has been returned to prison following his admission of breaching a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO). The order was imposed in 2012 after Willoughby was convicted of sexual offences involving a child under 16, designed to protect the public by restricting his online activities and other behaviours.

In April 2025, Willoughby violated the terms of his SHPO, which explicitly prohibited him from deleting his internet search history and imposed conditions to monitor his interactions. During this period, he was found communicating online with what he believed to be an adult, openly discussing his sexual interest in children. Unbeknownst to him, the profile was operated by an undercover police officer from the Force’s Paedophile Online Investigation Team.

Following the discovery, Willoughby was promptly arrested and charged with two counts of breaching his SHPO. He pleaded guilty to both charges at an earlier hearing at Northampton Crown Court. On 15 October 2025, he returned to the same court for sentencing, where Judge [name not specified] imposed a custodial sentence of one year and four months.

• Key conditions breached: Failure to preserve internet search history and engaging in prohibited online discussions about child sexual interests.
• Previous conviction: Sexual offences against a child under 16 in 2012, leading to the SHPO.
• Investigation led by: Detective Constable Jon Brawn, Paedophile Online Investigation Team.

Detective Constable Jon Brawn commented on the case, stating: “John Willoughby’s online conversations were extremely concerning as well as a blatant breach of the order put in place to protect the public from him. I am pleased that he was caught out and brought to justice, and I hope this case demonstrates the proactivity of our teams to ensure we safeguard the children in this county and put any offenders behind bars.” This incident underscores the ongoing vigilance of law enforcement in monitoring registered sex offenders to prevent further harm.

The case was reported by Jon Burke for Rayo Greatest Hits Northamptonshire News on 3 November 2025, highlighting the effectiveness of proactive policing in child protection efforts.