Rugby sex offender back behind bars after breaching court order

Warwick Crown Court heard yesterday (Monday April 29) that 31-year-old Joshua Ashby was jailed for ten years and eight months.

He pleaded guilty to breaching a sexual harm prevention order (SHPO), two charges of inciting girls to engage in and watch sexual activity, attempting to engage in sexual communication with a person under 16, and failing to comply with his sex offender registration.

Following an 18-month sentence and two orders imposed in October 2015, Ashby was jailed for 25 months in February 2019 after pleading guilty to breaching his SHPO and failing to comply with his sex offender registration.

As a high-risk sex offender, Ashby has been managed by Warwickshire Police’s sex offender management unit (SOMU) in the north of the county since then.

He has been subject to intense offender management and as a result of the work by the unit, the police were able to charge and remand Ashby in custody last year for a breach of his order where he communicated with a 13-year-old child.

He pled guilty to this charge, and was subsequently sentenced on all counts.

DS Kim Stafford, of Warwickshire Police said, “As a team it’s our job to enforce the conditions when someone like Ashby is released into the community.

"By being proactive, we’ve got a prolific sex offender back behind bars.

“An SHPO is a civil order, but it was given on conviction for Ashby due to the nature of his offences.

"We have a number of options at our disposal to keep the public safe from sexual predators, and we use them effectively.”

The NSPCC has a section on its website offering information and advice to help you keep your child safe online.

Anyone concerned that someone is a convicted sex offender, and could pose a risk to a child, can apply for disclosure information through the Sarah’s Law dedicated web page.

Anyone who is worried about someone’s behaviour towards a child can apply, not just a child’s parents.

This includes people like a grandparent, neighbour, or friend.

If you are concerned about your own thoughts or behaviours around children, you can get help at Stop It Now.