Sex offender jailed for breaching sexual harm order, after reporting the fraudulent sale of his prohibited device
Mark Lee, a registered sex offender from Oldham, has been sentenced to five years in prison with an extended licence period for breaching a Sexual Harm Prevention Order. Lee targeted teenage boys online, coerced them into sending explicit images, and pretended to be a teenager himself. Despite previous convictions and restrictions, he continued his predatory behavior, leading to his arrest and subsequent charges, including engaging in sexual communication with a child and possession of indecent images.
Convicted sex offender Mark Lee returned to prison Tuesday after a Manchester sex-offender management officer uncovered fresh grooming of 13-year-old boys, £1,200 in hush payments and a fake-sister ruse designed to keep the abuse alive.
Lee, 21, of Greenbrow Road, received a five-year custodial term plus life-long sex-offender registration and an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order at Manchester Crown Court for repeatedly breaching a 2023 court ban and targeting children through age-filtered chatrooms.
The court heard that within months of receiving a suspended sentence for indecent images, Lee adopted a teenager’s persona, befriended a 13-year-old boy and pressured him into sending explicit photographs, sending £1,200 to secure more. When the child tried to end contact, Lee created a second account under his “sister’s” name, urging the boy to resume communication.
A second 13-year-old was groomed on the same platform, while Lee set search filters to reach only young teens. Detectives discovered the new offences after the offender’s case worker, conducting weekly checks, spotted an eBay fraud report that revealed Lee had secretly kept an internet-enabled device.
Arrested in April, Lee’s phone held fresh indecent images; officers traced victims by matching school uniforms to a national database. Charges included inciting sexual activity, sexual communication with a child, possessing indecent images, meeting a child after grooming and multiple order breaches.
Orla Lynch, investigative assistant at Greater Manchester Police’s Sex Offender Management Unit, said: “Lee had every opportunity to attempt rehabilitation… but it is clear that he had complete disregard for the order placed on him, our team, and most importantly, the two teenage boys he abused.”
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