In 2018, the Offender Database recorded that 32-year-old Andrew Toon was sentenced to 12 years in prison for a series of predatory sexual offences. Toon—of no fixed abode, formerly of Chester-le-Street—used an iPad to masquerade as a 14-year-old boy to groom a 12-year-old girl. It was reported that Toon was already a convicted sex offender who had failed to declare the device to police, in direct breach of an existing Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO).
The investigation established that Toon used a significant degree of planning to find a child for his own sexual gratification. Durham Constabulary reported that during interviews, Toon admitted to sending indecent images via Skype and chatting to multiple underage girls, urging them to perform sexual acts on themselves. The prosecution reported that Toon’s actions caused remarkable harm to his primary victim, whose mother described him in court as every parent’s worst nightmare.
Judicial Findings and Investigative Detail
The court reported that Toon was a persistent and determined serial paedophile who remained a sexually dangerous man. Durham Crown Court heard in 2018 that Toon had previously received a suspended sentence in 2016 for 16 counts of making indecent images, alongside charges of distribution and inciting a child to engage in sexual activity. The investigation established that his 2018 offences included causing a child under 13 to engage in sexual activity and possessing extreme pornography.
Judge Jonathan Carroll presided over the sentencing, handing Toon a 12-year custodial term with an additional six-year extended licence period. For his actions in Chester-le-Street and the wider Durham area, Toon was made subject to an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order. The judge noted that Toon’s many previous convictions and his ability to bypass police monitoring using undeclared technology necessitated a long-term incapacitation to protect the public.
Status and Statutory Requirements
For the records reported in England, the status of Andrew Toon as of April 2, 2026, was as follows:
- Custodial Status: SERVING (12-year sentence plus 6-year extended licence; sentenced 2018).
- Sex Offenders Register: Notification requirements are active for life.
- SHPO Status: Indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order active for life.
- Judicial Oversight: Sentenced at Durham Crown Court; monitored by Durham Constabulary.
- Criminal Record: Causing a child under 13 to engage in sexual activity; Making/Possessing indecent images; Breach of SHPO; Sexual activity in the presence of a child.
- Origin: Chester-le-Street, County Durham; No fixed abode.
Monitoring and Public Protection
Toon is managed as a high-risk Category 1 dangerous predator within the national prison estate. Due to the nature of his conduct, which involved masquerading as a child to bypass a girl’s defences and the use of hidden technology to evade police, his management is a maximum priority for the Durham MAPPA (Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements) team. Authorities state that his history of breaching court orders while on a suspended sentence indicates a high level of recidivism risk.
As a registered sex offender for life, Toon’s details are permanently logged on the national police database. Authorities state that his extended licence means he will remain under active probation supervision well into the late 2030s. Any failure to notify police of his residency upon release, any possession of undeclared digital devices, or any attempt to contact minors online will result in immediate recall to prison to ensure the ongoing safety of the public from his determined predatory tactics.
QUESTION – Given that this offender was able to groom a child using an iPad he had successfully hidden from police while under an active court order, do you believe that all convicted sex offenders should be legally required to submit to monthly, unannounced digital forensic sweeps of their homes?
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