Craig Neal Jenkins

A convicted sex offender from Burton has been sentenced to prison after breaching court orders designed to prevent further sexual harm. Craig Neal Jenkins, 52, ignored the terms of a ten-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) imposed in 2014 following previous offences involving indecent images of children.

On 2 August 2022, officers from Staffordshire Police’s Sexual Offender Management Unit (SOMU) conducted a routine check of Jenkins' devices as required by his SHPO. During the inspection, they discovered deleted WhatsApp messages on his mobile phone, which he was prohibited from deleting. Further examination of his laptop revealed an indecent image of a child. Jenkins denied owning any other devices, but following his arrest, police searched his home and recovered a camcorder along with several tapes.

• Possession of an indecent image on his laptop
• Deletion of WhatsApp messages in breach of SHPO
• Failure to hand over all devices
• Use of an incognito browser, also prohibited

Jenkins pleaded guilty to three counts of making an indecent photograph or pseudo-photograph of a child and two counts of breaching a SHPO at Stafford Crown Court. On 19 October 2022, he was sentenced to two years and two months in prison. In addition, he was placed on the Sex Offenders Register for ten years and received a new SHPO.

Jane Mulliner, from Staffordshire Police’s SOMU, commented on the case: “We take the management of sex offenders extremely seriously. Jenkins rightly has very strict notification requirements he is expected to abide by and he has shown a complete disregard and lack of respect for them.” The incident underscores the ongoing efforts by Staffordshire Police to monitor and enforce restrictions on individuals convicted of sexual offences to protect the public, particularly children.