Sex offender breached court order

A SEX offender has been hauled back in front of a judge for breaching an order by contacting a woman over 100 times.

Mark Nixon was given a sexual offences prevention order in 2009 after being convicted of sexual activity with a child and sexual assault of a child. As part of the order, Nixon is banned from contacting any person who has parental responsibility for a child under the age of 16 without contacting the police first.

But between September and November, last year, Nixon, 36, made contact with a woman – who is responsible for looking after a child – on more than 100 occasions, putting him in breach of the order.

Nixon appeared at Durham Crown Court to be sentenced for the breach, which he admitted at a previous hearing.

Becky Jane, prosecuting, said on November 13 last year, two of Nixon’s mobile phones were seized as part of a routine police visit. When analysed, 119 text messages between the defendant and a woman were discovered. She said: “The defendant was interviewed and he admitted the breach. He said he didn’t realise he was breaching the order.”

The court heard that Nixon, of Great North Road, Chester-leStreet, who had 27 previous convictions for 57 offences, had breached the order before in 2011 and 2014. Last year’s breach meant he was also in breach of a suspended sentence, imposed in April 2021 for driving while banned.

Christopher Wood, defending, asked the judge to give Nixon full credit for his guilty plea.

Recorder Paul Reid handed him a 12-month community order with 30 rehabilitation activity days, which will run alongside his current suspended sentence.