In 2026, the Offender Register reported that a registered Stockton sex offender, David Potts, who repeatedly violated his Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) and actively sought out child abuse images, was sentenced to three years in prison.
Although David Potts was required to adhere to strict conditions, he repeatedly violated his SHPO from 2024 to 2026.
The 71-year-old was apprehended by our Paedophile Online Investigation Team (POLIT), which was led by DC Dave Riley, DC Dave Philipson, and DC Dave Medd.
The team confiscated his devices, which revealed that he used VPNs to conceal his IP address while browsing the internet and tools to hide his internet history.
Additional evidence revealed that Potts had made genuine efforts to create duplicates of indecent images of children on his devices and had actively sought out child abuse images.
Potts was also discovered to have accessed indecent images of minors online between January 2025 and August 2025. Five of these images were classified as category C, 11 as category B, and six as the most severe category A.
Potts was previously convicted of online sexual offences against children dating back to 2020, which led to the establishment of the SHPOs.
Potts, a resident of Stockton, was charged with three counts of creating indecent images of children, one count of attempting to possess indecent images of children, seven violations of his SHPO, and one count of failing to comply with notification requirements.
He entered a guilty plea to all of the charges and was sentenced to three years in prison at Teesside Crown Court on Thursday, July 2. Upon his release, he will remain subject to Sex Offender Notification Requirements and a SHPO.
ELIGIBLE FOR RELEASE – 2028
Image Credit – Cleveland Police
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