A REGISTERED sex offender was caught with indecent images of children on his phone – just a month after a period on licence following a prison term for similar offences had ended.
Now Zac Markham-Martin is back behind bars after being jailed for a total of 30 months by a judge at Warwick Crown Court, who also ordered him to register as a sex offender for life.
The 30 year-old, previously of Leicester Street, Leamington, had pleaded guilty to three charges of possessing indecent images of children, possessing extreme pornography, and breaching a sexual harm prevention order.
Outlining the background to the offences, Prosecutor Peter Grice said that in 2015 Markham-Martin had been made subject to a referral order for possessing indecent images of children.
He was also made subject to a sexual harm prevention order with a number of prohibitions relating to his access to internet sites and the storing of digital images.
Then in March last year he was jailed for 18 months and ordered to register as a sex offender for ten years for making indecent images of children and possessing extreme pornography.
Having already served some time on remand, he spent only another couple of months inside before he was released, and was then on licence until February this year.
But on March 24 Markham-Martin, who at the time was living at a probation hostel in Kenilworth Road, Leamington, was stopped by his police offender manager who asked to see his phone.
Markham-Martin produced a Nokia phone which was not capable of connecting to the internet.
Not satisfied, the officer pointed to a bulge in his pocket and asked what it was, and Markham-Martin at first claimed it was his wallet – but then produced a second phone.
That phone did have internet capability, and on it and in a drop box account officers found indecent images of children as young as three, as well as extreme pornographic images.
Mr Grice said many of the images involved boys aged between three and 13, and when he was interviewed Markham-Martin admitted downloading them.
Paul O’Keefe, defending, told the judge: “Clearly you are dealing with a young man who is still only 20, but for awful offences of having indecent images.
“A month after his release, he’s downloading similar, if not worse images than before.
“In the past he’s always denied any interest in children sexually, and when pressed by the authors of previous reports he would change the subject and deny any issue.
“But on this occasion he’s accepted he does have a sexual interest in children, and that he’s quite likely to re-offend, and expresses a desire to have some treatment while in custody. He wants that help.”
Judge Richard Griffith-Jones pointed out: “The problem I have is that it is far too serious for a non-custodial sentence.
“But it is unlikely to be of such length that he will be able to benefit from a course in custody, which can only begin when he’s 21.”
Jailing Markham-Martin for 20 months for the images and 10 months consecutive for breaching the order, Judge Griffith-Jones told him: “This was a flagrant breach of the sexual harm prevention order made for a period of five years in 2015.
“The offences of possessing the images are made far worse not only by reason of the number and gravity of them, but also by your previous convictions.”
And, imposing a new sexual harm prevention order for ten years, the judge warned him: “Further breaches when you are released will result in longer sentences.”
