David Brown

David Brown, a 38-year-old resident of Sandringham Avenue in Knottingley, Wakefield, found himself back in court after breaching conditions imposed following a previous conviction for child grooming offences. In April 2024, Brown had been sentenced to 12 months in prison at Leeds Crown Court for attempting to meet a 13-year-old boy he had groomed online. The profile of the boy turned out to be operated by a paedophile hunter group, who confronted him at the arranged meeting spot near a Co-op store in Outwood, Wakefield. As part of his sentence, Brown was placed on the sex offender register for 10 years and subjected to a 10-year sexual harm prevention order (SHPO), which restricted his use of certain communication apps and required him to keep authorities informed of his movements.

The recent breaches occurred at the end of August 2024, when Brown travelled to Wales for a holiday without notifying police, as mandated by the sex offender register. Under the register's terms, he was required to update his whereabouts every few days. Additionally, police monitoring software installed on his phone revealed that he had downloaded WhatsApp and Snapchat, apps prohibited by his SHPO. His phone was seized on 17 September 2024, and his probation officer separately alerted authorities to the unapproved trip. These violations came to light during routine oversight by West Yorkshire Police, who had implemented the monitoring as part of his post-release supervision.

Appearing unrepresented at Leeds Crown Court, Brown faced charges for failing to comply with the sex offender register and breaching the SHPO. Judge Simon Batiste acknowledged the seriousness of the offences but opted for leniency, imposing an eight-month custodial sentence suspended for 18 months. Brown was also ordered to complete 15 days of rehabilitation activity and 80 hours of unpaid work. Addressing Brown directly, Judge Batiste stated: "If you do not engage there won’t be any excuse, you have been made aware by me." This incident underscores the ongoing challenges in supervising high-risk sex offenders in the community, as reported by court correspondent Nick Frame for the Yorkshire Evening Post on 5 December 2025.