Colchester paedophile who slept over at 13-year-old boy's house jailed

Liam Tucker has been jailed for seven years after breaching a sexual harm order

A sex offender who sent explicit messages to a teen and slept at a 13-year-old boy's home has been jailed.

Luke Tucker, 23, of Eight Acre Lane in Colchester, Essex, had been convicted of a sexual assault in October 2022 and was handed a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) the following February.

He breached the order and on Wednesday was sentenced at Chelmsford Crown Court to seven years behind bars.

PC Graeme Braby said he was a "very real danger to young people".

The terms of his SHPO significantly limited his contact with anyone under the age of 18, affected his access to the internet and his ability to store still or moving images.

He also had to notify police if he was going to stay at any household address where someone under the age of 18 lived and inform officers if he had used any aliases.

Despite this, Tucker sent gifts to a 13-year-old, stayed at the teenager's home and also allowed him stay at his home.

• Essex ex-head teacher banned for indecent child images

• Paedophile Christopher Behn admits 21 further sex abuse offences

• Ealing Abbey: Paedophiles acted 'like the mafia'

Police searched Tucker's home on 25 March and discovered several memory cards, USB sticks and hard drives which breeched the terms of his order.

Officers also found several social media apps on his phone.

During the investigation, officers discovered that Tucker had been sending messages to a 15-year-old boy, trying to solicit sexual activity, since October 2022.

He was charged with a range of offences and convicted of causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity, breaching a sexual harm prevention order and failure to comply with the notification requirements of the Sex Offender Register.

PC Graeme Braby, who led the investigation, said: "Luke Tucker poses a very real danger to young people.

"The fact he defied the significant constraints on his contact with children, access to the internet, and access to storage devices highlights the lengths he was prepared to go to."