A Swindon man has been jailed after repeatedly breaching a court order designed to protect vulnerable people, including sex workers.
Sean Morris, 59, of Massinger Walk in Walcot, was sentenced at Swindon Magistrates’ Court on 13 June after admitting breaching the conditions of a Sexual Risk Order (SRO).
The court heard that Morris had been subject to the order since February 2023. Sexual Risk Orders are civil orders that can impose restrictions on an individual where there is concern they may pose a risk of sexual harm, even if they have not been convicted of a sexual offence linked to the behaviour being restricted.
Police arrested Morris in August last year after he was found to have breached the terms of the order. More recently, officers detained him again on 12 June following further alleged breaches of his bail conditions.
He was subsequently charged and remanded in custody ahead of appearing before magistrates the following day.
At the hearing, Morris pleaded guilty to breaching the Sexual Risk Order. Magistrates sentenced him to 20 weeks’ imprisonment.
In addition to the custodial sentence, Morris was placed on the Sex Offenders Register for seven years and ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £154.
Wiltshire Police said the case highlighted the importance of enforcing orders designed to safeguard people considered to be at risk of harm.
Police officers involved in the investigation said Morris had repeatedly failed to comply with the restrictions imposed upon him and that the breaches were treated seriously because of the potential risk posed to vulnerable members of the community.
PC Katie Owers, of Wiltshire Police, said the offender had shown a continued unwillingness to follow the conditions that had been put in place to protect vulnerable individuals.
She said his behaviour represented a clear risk to sex workers and welcomed the court’s decision to impose a prison sentence, describing it as a reflection of the seriousness of the repeated breaches.
The force added that it would continue to take action against those who fail to comply with Sexual Risk Orders and other safeguarding measures.
Sexual Risk Orders are one of a number of legal tools available to police and courts to manage individuals who are considered to pose a risk of sexual harm. Breaching the conditions of an order is a criminal offence and can result in imprisonment.
Wiltshire Police said the sentence should provide reassurance to those affected by Morris’s actions and underlined the force’s commitment to protecting vulnerable people across the county.
