Leeds paedophile who sexually assaulted young girl sent back to jail for ‘persistent’ harassment

Jason Forrest, 39, was convicted of sexual assault against a child under the age of 13, as well as possessing indecent images of children, in 2018. He was jailed for 28 months and handed a sexual harm prevention order, preventing him from communicating with children under 16.

Forrest was sentenced again in January 2022 for three breaches of the order. In April that year, after being released from prison, police inspected his phone and found he had used TikTok to send messages to the victim, as well as a 15-year-old girl.

Forrest was recalled to prison and sentenced to 16 weeks in custody for harassment, and handed a restraining order preventing him from contacting the victim he assaulted. Just a couple of weeks after being released from custody, he used Snapchat to contact the victim and the 15-year-old girl he had previously messaged, as well as a third girl.

Forrest, of Farnley Lane, Otley, pleaded guilty to two counts of breaching a sexual harm prevention order, two counts of harassment and one count of breaching a restraining order.

Mitigating, Andrea Parnham said: “The defendant understands now that his behaviour was not acceptable and he understands that it did upset the complainants. That was not his intention. He knows that he faces a prison sentence.”

Sentencing him at Leeds Crown Court today, Judge Tom Bayliss KC said Forrest was “nothing if not persistent” and had frequently disregarded court orders. Forrest was jailed for 27 months and given an indefinite restraining order preventing him from contacting the three victims.