Jonathan Frost

Jonathan Frost, a 43-year-old resident of Ferryhill in County Durham, was sentenced at Durham Crown Court for multiple breaches of his Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO). The SHPO had been imposed in September 2021 following his conviction for attempted sexual communication with a child and attempting to meet a child after grooming, for which he received a suspended sentence. Deemed a high risk of re-offending, Frost's phone was equipped with monitoring software to track his usage.

On 15 December 2023, police from Durham Constabulary visited Frost's home on Corscombe Close after detecting unauthorised applications on his device. The apps in question—Zangi, Plamfly, and Buzzcast—were described by prosecutor Kathryn Wetherley as enabling contact with women and being of a sexual nature. Frost permitted officers entry but requested to use the bathroom. When asked for his phone, it was found to lack the applications, and Frost admitted to deleting them in a panic upon seeing the police arrive.

During his police interview, Frost acknowledged understanding the SHPO terms, referencing a prior breach involving Snapchat that led to prosecution. He was cautioned and arrested on the spot. In court, Frost pleaded guilty to the four breaches: installing the three apps and deleting an image of his private parts. Wetherley characterised the offences as 'very serious, persistent and deliberate breaches'.

Defence barrister Albany Kidd highlighted Frost's vulnerability due to diagnosed learning disabilities, noting his supportive family network and that he lived with his parents. She conceded the breaches were deliberate but argued the deletion was a panicked, uncalculated reaction, and the apps were used only for conversations with adult women. Kidd accepted that custody was inevitable.

Judge Nathan Adams remarked that these were not Frost's first breaches, having given him chances for previous offences in 2024. He stated it had been made 'absolutely plain' to Frost that further non-compliance would result in immediate custody. Adams imposed a 12-month sentence for the latest breaches, activating an additional eight months from a suspended sentence dated June 2024, totalling 20 months' imprisonment. The judge warned Frost that any further breaches would lead to additional custodial terms.

The case was reported by The Northern Echo, with details sourced from Durham Crown Court proceedings and Durham Constabulary.