Michael Stuart Mason, then aged 77, of Southbank, Chester, was sentenced to 22 months’ imprisonment at Chester Crown Court on Monday, 17 August 2026, after pleading guilty to ten counts relating to breaches of sex offender court orders.
The prosecution follows an enforcement investigation by Cheshire Police’s Sex Offender Management Unit.
The court heard that Mason had previously been ordered to sign the Sex Offenders Register and made subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) following proceedings at Mold Crown Court in 2021, where he received a suspended sentence for distributing indecent images, possessing prohibited images, and possessing extreme pornography.
Between 1 January 2026 and 20 April 2026, Mason breached the conditions of the SHPO by failing to declare to monitoring officers that he had acquired an HP laptop.
In addition, Mason failed to provide mandatory notification of his new residential address, resulting in a statutory breach of his Sex Offenders Register obligations.
Mason entered guilty pleas to:
- Nine counts of breaching a Sexual Harm Prevention Order
- One count of failing to comply with the Sex Offenders Register
PC Gina Davies stated that officers remain dedicated to ensuring offenders adhere strictly to orders created to manage risk in the community, warning that disregard for such legal safeguards leads directly to custody.
The presiding judge handed down a custodial sentence of 22 months’ imprisonment and ordered that Mason’s Sexual Harm Prevention Order be extended for an additional five years, remaining active until 2036.
Release Calculation: Under UK sentencing legislation governing standard determinate sentences for non-sexual offences, Mason is required to serve one-half (11 months) of his 22-month sentence in prison custody before becoming eligible for automatic statutory release on licence. His projected release date falls in July 2027, whereupon he will serve the remaining 11 months under the supervision of the Probation Service in the community until June 2028.
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