A paedophile has been jailed again after police visited his home.
Ian Hobley, 55, of Town Lane, Bebington, was found to be in breech of his Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) when police visited his home on Friday, October 6. When officers entered his home they found an electronic device he had failed to register.
After reviewing the phone they found suspected indecent images of children and he was arrested. When Hobley’s devices were further examined, there were 450 images classed as Category A, along with 1,179 other images in Categories B and C.
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There were also two Category A videos found. He was brought before Liverpool Crown Court on Wednesday, November 7, having pleaded guilty to 11 offences involving making indecent images, possessing prohibited images and three offences of breaching the SPHO.
He was jailed for two years and was issued with a SHPO for ten years.
Detective Inspector Steven O’Neill said: “Hobley was arrested after officers on a routine home visit as part of his SHPO found an electronic device that he hadn’t registered with us. This led to the sickening discovery of explicit sexual images of children.
“Hobley pleaded guilty to the offences because the evidence was so strong against him.
“Officers working in the Sex Offender Unit regularly conduct visits each month to ensure that offenders on the Sexual Offenders Register living in the community are closely monitored. Officers also work closely with partners in probation and housing to ensure that the public are protected and risk of further offending is minimised.”
This isn't the first time Hobley has been in court, with previous convictions in 2003 and 2008 for indecent image offences.
A spokesperson for Merseyside Police said: "Sex offending has such a huge and terrible impact on victims, and we are determined to continue looking to innovative new ways of identifying repeat offenders at the earliest possible opportunity, to prevent young people coming to further harm from abuse and exploitation."
There is help out there for victims of rape and sexual assault and other sexual crimes.
The NHS recommends a range of services and support networks which are gathered on the NHS Choices website.
Merseyside Police have specially trained officers who are experienced in investigating sexual assaults in the most sensitive way.
If you’d like to report online, rather than speaking to an officer by telephone in the first instance, you can use Merseyside Police's online crime reporting service which is secure and confidential.
If you’d like to talk to someone, the national non-emergency telephone number is staffed 24/7 and can be reached by calling 101.
For emergency calls contact call 999
Information on the services offered locally is gathered on Merseyide Police's website.
Charities offering advice include RASA Merseyside, rapecrisis and safeline.
You can report rape, sexual assault and other sexual offences anonymously here: https://www.merseyside.police.uk/ro/report/rsa/alpha-v1/advice/rape-sexual-assault-and-other-sexual-offences/how-to-report-rape-sexual-assault-other-sexual-offences/
There is a lot of support available from specialist officers within Merseyside Police and through the Police and Crime Commissioner’s Victim Care Merseyside service delivered jointly by two registered charities.
In Liverpool, Sefton and Wirral, support is provided by Rape and Sexual Abuse Support (RASA) Merseyside who are available on 0151 558 1801 and, in St Helens and Knowsley, by the Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Centre (RASASC) Cheshire and Merseyside who can be contacted on 01925 221 546 or 0330 363 0063.
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