A registered sex offender, who was jailed last summer after being caught by a paedophile hunter, is now back behind bars for breaching a court order by deleting dating apps from his phone.
Matthew Verity, 42, appeared at Peterborough Crown Court on August 3 where he was jailed for eight months after pleading guilty to breaching his Sexual Harm Prevention Order at a former hearing.
Verity was caught in a sting operation in 2019 when he linked up with what he thought was a 14-year-old boy.
He contacted the “boy”, who was actually a paedophile hunter, and despite being told he was only 14, discussed what he would like to do sexually and about meeting him. He also asked for a naked photo of the “boy” and sent a picture of his own genitalia.
Verity, who was living in Stamford when he was jailed last year but is now based in Dogsthorpe, Peterborough, was given a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) and placed on the Sex Offenders Register in 2016 after being convicted of a sexual assault.
He was visited at his home address in Wesleyan Road in Dogsthorpe on Sunday, July 12 by officers from the north-based Public Protection Unit (PPU) as part of a routine check on registered sex offenders living within Cambridgeshire.
Cambridgeshire Police said one of the restrictions as part of his SHPO is that he must not delete any internet history.
However, on inspection of his phone officers found evidence Verity had deleted WhatsApp messages and the dating apps Grindr and Tinder.
Detective Sergeant Paul Stimpson, from Cambridgeshire Police’s Public Protection Unit, said: “From the point of his conviction Verity was allocated a member of my team to monitor him, meaning they pay him regular unannounced visits, check he is not breaching any of his conditions and monitor his electronic devices.
“These measures are in place to ensure public safety and the team are very thorough with their inspections, hence the discovery of Verity’s breaches.”
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Officers were called to reports of a burglary in progress at a premises on Harlow Street, Grimsby at 5:20am this morning (Thursday 26 May).
Following a prompt response from officers five men (from London, Essex and Loughborough) have been arrested on suspicion of burglary.
Whilst carrying out a search of the area and property officers also discovered a cannabis grow at the premises alongside equipment often used when growing cannabis.
Electricity had also been abstracted dangerously.
If you have any information that may assist us with our enquiries, please contact us on our non-emergency number 101 quoting log 46 of 26 May.
A man from Crowland has been fined more than £21,000 for storing waste illegally after pleading guilty to operating a waste site without permission and allowing others to fly-tip there.
Raymond Wortley, 75, of The Streddars, Hundreds Road, accepted and stored waste illegally at his home without a permit. While some of the waste was burned, he also left his gate open which allowed fly-tippers to deposit other waste on his site.
Wortley was sentenced at Peterborough Magistrates’ Court on May 24, 2022. He pleaded guilty to operating a waste facility without a permit and knowingly permitting others to deposit waste.
In mitigation, it was explained Wortley had misunderstood the scope of the regulations and had made efforts to comply. He had recently cleared the site and was in the process of making an application for planning permission.
He was fined £21,693.50 which included the avoided permit costs and financial benefit Wortley had gained by running the illegal site. He was ordered to pay a contribution to prosecution costs of £10,000 and a victim surcharge of £181.
A man from Lincolnshire stored waste illegally at his home without a permit. | Photo: Environment Agency
Waste including tree cuttings, plastics, treated wood and construction waste was kept on land at Wortley’s home between October 23, 2019 and June 2, 2021.
Officers visited the site in October 2019 after reports of material being burnt at the site. Smoke from the fire was so thick the officers were unable to see each other.
Metal sheeting, aerosols, ceramic pots and plastic were all found on the burn pile. At the time, Wortley only had permission to burn green waste produced at his site.
Surveillance was then carried out at the site during February 2020, and June to July 2020. Officers noted tipper trucks bringing waste to the site on numerous occasions during this time.
They were told by drivers a fee of £20 was being charged per load to bring waste to the site.
Smoke from the fire was so thick that the officers were unable to see each other. | Photo: Environment Agency
Wortley was told verbally and in writing on several occasions he was not allowed to run the site in the way he was doing. Despite this, he continued to do so.
Further visits were made to the site in July 2020. An attempt to regularise some of the activities had been made with the green waste now being shredded, but this still required a permit.
Additional visits were made in February 2021 and again in October last year. Despite further warnings telling him to stop, Wortley continued to operate from the site with mixed waste including carpets, plastic and household waste being found.
In, November 2021, the site was inspected via drone and found to still be operating as a waste transfer station without any permits.
Peter Stark, enforcement team leader at the Environment Agency, said: “We take illegal waste activity very seriously and will take the necessary action to disrupt criminal activity and prosecute those responsible.
“Wortley was advised to stop on numerous occasions but continued to disregard environmental law. He is now receiving the consequences of those actions.”
Members of the public can report waste crime report on 0800 807060. Alternatively, call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
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