Richard Knight

Richard Knight, a 68-year-old resident of Maesgwyn Road in Wrexham, appeared at Mold Crown Court on Tuesday for sentencing after admitting three offences of breaching a sexual harm prevention order (SHPO) and one count of failing to comply with notification requirements.

Knight is a registered sex offender, having received a suspended sentence in August 2023 for attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child and attempting to cause a child to engage in a sexual act. This conviction led to the imposition of an SHPO, which required him to retain internet history on his devices for police inspection and to notify authorities within three days of using any social media applications or aliases.

On 9 January 2024, Knight's police monitoring officer conducted an unannounced visit. Inspection of his mobile phone revealed that he had been using Instagram under an alias and had configured internet browsers to automatically delete browsing history after three months. Within the visible three-month period, searches and installations of a messenger app were found, along with records of contacts with multiple females, including chats with at least one. Knight claimed he had not used the messenger app, but evidence showed otherwise.

Prosecutor Brett Williamson described the breaches as deliberate. Defence counsel Oliver King argued that Knight had used well-known social media platforms merely to make friends as a retired man, with no evidence of accessing illegal content, the dark web, or communicating with children. King noted the automatic deletion setting was not a deliberate attempt to obstruct police and requested the court avoid immediate custody or activation of the suspended sentence to allow for rehabilitation.

However, Judge Rhys Rowlands activated the nine-month suspended sentence, deeming it just given Knight's history. The judge highlighted the original offence's severity, where Knight believed he was communicating with a child but was using a decoy, calling it 'pretty appalling stuff'. Rowlands described Knight as a 'consummate liar' who had deceived police and probation services, showing no intent to comply with the SHPO. He imposed an additional 12-month consecutive term for the new offences, resulting in a total of 21 months' immediate custody.

The case was reported by Steve Craddock for Leader Live, based on proceedings at Mold Crown Court. Judge Rowlands emphasised the importance of such orders, stating, 'There has to be some substance to these orders or no one will be getting them because there will be no confidence in them at all.' Knight bowed his head during the hearing, rubbing his forehead as the prosecution detailed the breaches.