A sex offender has been returned to custody after a police officer discovered a mobile phone concealed in his jacket pocket when it began to ring. Matthew Hodgkiss has been caught by paedophile hunters on two separate occasions and found himself recalled to prison within days of his most recent release.
Phone rings during police visit
Last month, the 49-year-old breached a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO), which was imposed in 2021, for the fourth time. Teesside Crown Court was told that Hodgkiss had been released from custody on September 7 - having previously been jailed in 2025 for messaging someone he believed to be a 13-year-old girl.
On September 15, an officer visited him at his home address. Prosecutor Ralf Xhepa told the court: "The defendant was asked if he had a mobile device. He advised he did not and he was going to buy a non-internet phone the week after he got paid."
During the conversation, a ringing sound emanated from the defendant's jacket and he "rolled his eyes". Hodgkiss later claimed he had lied because the phone was equipped with a camera.
Device examined and previous offences
The device was confiscated and examined, revealing no downloaded images, though correspondence had been deleted from it. Back in July 2021, Hodgkiss was imprisoned after soliciting what he believed to be a 14-year-old girl for sexual pictures, reports Teesside Live.
He was subsequently ordered to sign the Sex Offenders' Register and comply with a SHPO for 10 years. However, in 2023, he was returned to prison for failing to notify police of a new online username.
Days after his release from prison in 2025, he was caught by paedophile hunters for a second time following contact with someone he believed to be a 13-year-old girl. Nick Ayres, mitigating, said Hodgkiss acknowledged his offence, breaching a SHPO, during police questioning and entered a guilty plea at the first available opportunity.
Sentence and order
Hodgkiss, most recently of Middlesbrough Road, South Bank, and previously of Stockton, was sentenced to two years imprisonment. The SHPO remains in force.
