A man subject to a sexual harm prevention order (SHPO) after sending a photo of his genitals to what he thought was a 14-year-old girl has been spared jail. Derek Broadfoot, of Belmont Drive, Anfield, was already on bail under investigation for two breaches of a SHPO when he was caught with a number of unregistered devices.
Under the rules of the SHPO, made in 2022 after Broadfoot admitted attempted sexual communications with a child, the 33-year-old was required to register any electronic device with internet access with the police, and to make these devices available to police on request.
Devices seized at Anfield property
He was caught with two unregistered devices in April and May last year. On July 20 2025, officers from the sex offender manager unit visited his property on Belmont Drive, where a tablet and mobile phones were seized.
At Liverpool Crown Court on Wednesday, September 23, prosecutor Derek Jones said: “They noticed when they went in his home it was very unkempt with the floor being covered in litter. He presented one mobile phone which he had registered previously, but officers noticed other devices, a tablet.
“The defendant claimed he only had it for two days and therefore had another day to register it.
“Another mobile phone started ringing that was under some rubbish on the floor. Next to that was another phone with a cracked screen.
“Police also noticed a Motorola phone box that appeared new although there was no phone in it. The defendant said he didn’t have the phone, but then said it was registered earlier.
“When he was interviewed the defendant was saying it was up to the officers to find the phones. He said he didn’t have to present them to police. He said he didn’t realise he had to produce them to the officers.”
Undercover sting
Broadfoot received a 10 year SHPO after he sent what he believed was a 14-year-old girl a string of lewd Facebook messages over a week-long period in April 2022. He talked about "kissing and cuddling" and "getting naked if she wanted to", as well as sending the message "I want sex" numerous times.
He was in fact talking to an adult posing as a child as part of an undercover sting.
In August last year, Broadfoot was sentenced to 12 months in prison, suspended for 18 months, for SHPO breaches relating to the devices found in April and May that year.
He appeared back at Liverpool Crown Court on Wednesday after admitting five further breaches, which he committed while on bail.
Suspended sentence
Charles Lander, defending Broadfoot, said Broadfoot had made great progress since his suspended sentence in August last year, and was "responding positively" to programmes with the probation service.
He asked the judge to take into account Broadfoot's guilty plea and pass a suspended sentence to "allow the good work with probation to continue".
Recorder Eric Lamb sentenced Broadfoot to 20 months in prison, suspended for two years.
