A 65-year-old man has received a suspended jail term after admitting he breached a Sexual Offences Prevention Order by staying overnight at a house in Portadown without permission.

Andrew Maxwell, of Ashlea Court, Lisburn, pleaded guilty at Craigavon Magistrates Court to the breach on November 4 last year.

A prosecutor told the court that police were alerted by Social Services after Maxwell stayed at a relative’s home where a child was also present. The child’s parents raised concerns about his presence, given his history of offending.

Maxwell admitted in interview that he had not informed his designated risk manager, as required by the order imposed in December 2022.

A defence solicitor said Maxwell had been visiting the relative when he fell unwell and lay down, later feeling unable to drive home. The lawyer said there was no intention to stay overnight but accepted he should have notified the risk manager.

District Judge Michael Ranaghan suggested Maxwell had little understanding of the order and advised him to contact his risk manager for clarity. The judge said the custody threshold had been passed but, given the nature of the breach, he suspended a three-month sentence for one year to reinforce compliance.

The original order was imposed at Craigavon Crown Court in 2022 after Maxwell admitted charges including 20 counts of making indecent images of children, two of distributing category A and B images, and 13 of possessing extreme pornography. He also pleaded guilty to attempting to incite a child to view a pornographic image.

The court heard previously that police seized 19 devices from his home in 2017 and uncovered nearly 200 indecent images, including 22 at the most serious category A level and 132 extreme pornographic images. He had also used a fake online profile to participate in chat forums about child abuse.

Judge Patrick Lynch KC, sentencing in 2022, described the market for such images as perpetuating child abuse and said severe deterrent sentences were required.