A REGISTERED sex offender is to be sentenced at the crown court after police discovered prohibited images and evidence of him having deleted his internet history on a tablet.

Shaun George Jones, 54, admitted one charge of breaching a sexual harm prevention order at court this week.

Magistrates sitting in Llandrindod Wells on Wednesday, August 28, told Jones that they did not feel their sentencing powers were sufficient and told him he will be sentenced at the higher court next month.

Jones, of Parkdene, Temple Street, Llandrindod, breached the order – made by the same court in July 2020 – on June 11, 2023.

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Jones deleted material from a Samsung A8 tablet, which he was prohibited from doing by the July 2020 order.

Prosecutor James Sprunks said: “The defendant is a registered sex offender and a sexual harm prevention order is in place. It lasts until 2030.

“It has nine stipulations – including not to delete internet history. In June 2023 police visited him and his use [of the tablet] showed he had made a visit to a website selling branded baby sized dolls.

“Further examination detected prohibited images, deletion of internet history and of videos and other prohibited images.

“He said he didn’t know why he was looking at them but said something must be wrong with him. He understood the deletion [of the images] was a breach.”

Mr Sprunks said Jones had breached a previous sex offender order.

Owain Jones, representing Jones, said: “The previous order breach is from 2000. He was sentenced again in 2020 and this is the first breach of that order.

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“He cooperated fully with police. The defendant suffers with his mental health and other factors are at play, which I’m sure the court will want to know more about.”

Alun Morgan, chair of the bench, told Jones: “We do not feel our powers are sufficient to pass sentence.”

They committed the case to Merthyr Tydfil Crown Court, where Jones is due to appear on September 25.