A KENDAL man sentenced for a string of online child sex image crimes has been brought back to court for failing to inform police he had bought a new mobile phone.

Paul David German, 53, was punished by a judge in 2018 for making, distributing and possessing almost 300 illegal images of children.

Police had seized devices from his home and uncovered offences which, his barrister had told Carlisle Crown Court, occurred while he was “to some extent socially isolated”, and “living a double life online”.

German, of Kendal Parks Road, was handed a three-year community order comprising a rehabilitation requirement and attendance on a sex offender treatment course.

He was also told to sign the sex offenders’ register and comply with the strict terms of a sexual harm prevention order.

It was one term on that order German was found to have flouted in March this year when his offender manager - a police detective - called at his house and discovered he had bought a new Google Pixel phone but failed to tell the force within three days as required.

“He apologised,” prosecutor Gerard Rogerson told the Carlisle Crown Court.

“He said he was disappointed in himself as he was a perfectionist and would not normally do anything to be in breach of his order.”

When interviewed, German suggested he had “simply forgotten to notify his offender manager about it”, Mr Rogerson added.

No illegal material was found on the phone.

It was returned by police to German, who was almost two years into the order when the admitted breach occurred, and had otherwise tackled the 2018 sentence “properly and well”.

Now working full-time as a delivery driver and also caring for his mother, German was fined £400 for the breach and ordered to pay costs and a surcharge.

“You need to comply with the order,” he was reminded by the judge, Recorder Anna Vigars QC, “and make sure you are familiar with the terms.”