A couple invited a Tesco colleague into their home to meet their newborn baby, unaware that the man was a convicted paedophile banned from contact with children. Michael Hart, from West Derby, Liverpool, had previously been jailed for posing as a teenage girl online to persuade young boys to perform sex acts on webcam.
Hart, 38, was handed a lifelong sexual harm prevention order after his 2016 conviction for inciting a child to engage in sexual activity and making and distributing indecent images of children. The order bans him from having contact with children without the approval of social services.
Routine Check Uncovers Breach
Liverpool Crown Court heard on Monday that Hart's offender manager visited his home on June 9 this year for a routine check under the order. During the visit, the officer examined Hart's mobile phone and found conversations arranging to attend a friend's home to meet their newborn baby.
When contacted, the parents said they were unaware of Hart's conviction and confirmed he had been in the presence of their child on at least three occasions. Hart was interviewed three days later and claimed he believed he was not required to report the contact because he was not unsupervised, though he did recall one occasion when he was left unsupervised with the baby.
Previous Offences Detailed
Hart had worked as a supply teacher in Liverpool and at summer holiday camps for children in the USA. In April 2015, police seized a laptop and USB stick from his home containing hundreds of indecent images of children, including boys as young as eight being sexually abused.
Hart told officers he began viewing the material out of curiosity and admitted swapping files with other offenders over Skype. He also confessed to using chat rooms to incite young boys to undress and perform sexual acts on webcam two to three times per week, having communicated with around 100 children and convinced about half to expose themselves on camera while pretending to be a teenage girl.
Court Spares Hart Prison
Hart pleaded guilty to one count of breaching a sexual harm prevention order. His defence barrister, Carmel Wilde, said he had met the friends through his employment at Tesco and now worked in a Next warehouse. She noted there was no suggestion of any offences having taken place and that Hart had expressed regret.
Sentencing, Mr Justice Bright handed Hart a 12-month community order with 200 hours of unpaid work and a probation requirement, plus £100 in court costs. The judge told him: "I am giving you the benefit of the doubt now. You will never get it again. You have done something really stupid. Never, ever be so stupid again."
