A PAEDOPHILE failed to tell police he had bought a new laptop when he was required to – making the "ludicrous" excuse that he was too tired and it was too heavy to take to the station, a court heard. 

Bradley Ashton-Fearnley, 47, of Sunbridge Road, Bradford, was first convicted of possessing indecent photos of children in 2009. He was jailed and was made subject to a lifetime sexual offences prevention order.

He has now been jailed for 16 months for buying a laptop with access to the internet without notifying police of it.

He attended a police station to tell them he had bought a mobile phone, capable of accessing the internet, but four days after the 24-hour time limit that he should have in September last year.

A police search of his home address followed his arrest, where officers found a laptop, also with access to the internet, which he did not initially tell police he had bought.

Once he was arrested, Ashton-Fearnley told officers he had not informed them of the laptop he had bought as he was tired and it was too heavy to carry to the police station.

But Judge Neil Davey QC told Ashton-Fearnley his excuse for not telling police about the laptop was 'ludicrous'.

Ashton-Fearnley has eight previous convictions for 47 previous offences. These included 21 offences of possessing indecent images of children in 2009.

A number of breaches of the order followed, including in 2012 and 2013, which he was jailed for. He was released from prison in May 2021 after a further breach which saw him jailed for 32 months in 2018.

In mitigation, the court heard Ashton-Fearnley suffers from learning difficulties. When windows were smashed at his previous home address, he asked to move, a request which was granted at the time of his latest offending.

His counsel said: "There is no suggestion he has used any device for inappropriate use."

Ashton-Fearnley had also suffered from anxiety and blackouts, Bradford Crown Court heard.

He was jailed for the two offences of buying the laptop and phone and not notifying police about them.

No separate penalty was given for the charge of being the subject to a notification order, under the Sexual Offences Act 2003, failed without reasonable excuse to comply with the notification requirements, namely a change of address.

He had pleaded guilty to all three offences at an earlier hearing.

Judge Davey told Ashton-Fearnley: "The laptop was a very serious breach.

"You had the chance to tell police about it (the laptop), when you told police about your mobile phone.

"Your many previous convictions are an aggravating factor."

The judge added Ashton-Fearnley had a 'history of poor compliance with court orders'.