By Q Radio News
A convicted pervert who once tried to groom a teenage schoolgirl walked free from Court today (tues) after he admitted breaching a Sexual Offences Prevention Order.
Sentencing 26-year-old Samuel Minto at Antrim Magistrates Court, District Judge Nigel Broderick said the SOPO has been imposed “to prevent further offending and to protect any child he came in contact with.”
Imposing a 28 month jail sentence but suspending it for three years “to have something hanging over his head,” Judge Broderick warned Minto that while “nothing untoward” occurred on this occasion, if he reoffended again he would go to jail.
At an earlier hearing Minto, from Islay Street in Antrim, pleaded guilty to breaching the judge imposed Sexual Offences Prevention Order between August and 19 October this year “by being in contact with children under 16 years old.”
A prosecuting told the court today (tues) how Social Services told the PSNI Minto was living with his partner who has three children, thereby putting him in breach of the SOPO.
Arrested and interviewed, Minto “made full admissions” and claimed he had told his partner about the order.
The court heard the SOPO was put in place after Minto admitted trying to groom a 15-year-old girl through “sexualised and flirtatious” Facebook messages but that the girl’s parents alerted police or when discovered the messages.
Defence counsel Aaron Thompson conceded there ought to have been “Independant disclosure” of the order from either the police or Social Services and accepts he had offended in a way that was “socially and morally wrong.”
He revealed that “having received a threat,” Minto had been forced to change address.
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