Ian Carl Thompson

Ian Carl Thompson, a 56-year-old man from Selby, North Yorkshire, has been returned to prison after breaching the conditions of his sexual harm prevention order (SHPO) just days after his release. Originally sentenced in 2023 at York Crown Court for sexually assaulting a child, voyeurism, and possessing and taking indecent images of children, Thompson received a custodial term of two years and 10 months. Judge Simon Hickey, during the initial sentencing, remarked: "Quite clearly you had an unhealthy and illegal interest in young females." As a high-risk offender, Thompson was placed on the sex offenders’ register for life and subjected to a 10-year SHPO restricting his internet use, with police monitoring required.

Released on licence on 8 May 2024, Thompson's freedom was short-lived. On 14 May 2024, North Yorkshire Police visited his address and discovered he had violated the SHPO by accessing sexual images on his mobile phone and subsequently deleting his browser history to conceal his actions. Prosecuting, Kathryn Walters described Thompson as a high-risk offender, noting the rapid breach occurred within a week of release. His defence solicitor, Abbi Whelan, admitted that Thompson had initially used his phone—permitted under licence conditions with internet access—to search for music, but this led him down a "rabbit hole" of inappropriate sites. Whelan stated: "He knew he shouldn’t have done it. He feels he needs further help and guidance, but it hadn’t been provided in custody."

Upon examination of his phone, officers found evidence of the breach, leading to his immediate arrest and remand in custody. Thompson pleaded guilty to the breach at magistrates' court, where he was sentenced to an additional 10 months imprisonment. This term runs concurrently with the revocation of his prison licence, meaning he continues serving his original 2023 sentence. The court heard that probation services had arranged accommodation for him post-release at an address on Powell Street, Harrogate, though his pre-incarceration home was New Millgate, Selby.

Details from the 2023 case, as recounted by prosecutor Catherine Silverton, revealed Thompson's phone contained sexual images of more than one child. He had withheld the PIN to hinder the police investigation, yet officers uncovered hidden evidence including a covertly placed camera filming a child, voyeuristic videos and photos, and other child exploitation material. Additionally, Thompson had been following girls aged 15 to 18 on social media platforms like TikTok. This latest breach underscores ongoing concerns about his compliance with restrictions aimed at preventing further sexual harm, as reported by The Gazette & Herald court reporter Megi Rychlikova.