'Danger to children' back in jail within hours after texting 14-year-old from cell

Paedophile Christopher Cooper, 36, told a teenager he was 18 when messaging her from his prison cell

A child sex offender was arrested on the day he was released from jail after it was revealed he had been texting a 14-year-old girl from his cell. Birmingham paedophile Christopher Cooper, 36, was previously convicted of child sex offences.

He served time for breaching his Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) which banned him from making contact with anyone under the age of 16. But, while in prison, detectives discovered he had exchanged messages with a young girl in 2022.

Cooper claimed to be 18, but the victim had made it clear she was only 14, police said. He was arrested again on the day of his prison release.

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Cooper, of Portland Road, Edgbaston, was sentenced to three years and four months behind bars at Warwick Crown Court last week after pleading guilty to four counts of breaching a SHPO and one of inciting a girl aged 13 to 15 to engage in sexual activity. He will serve a further six years on licence and will be sent back to prison if found in breach.

Det Con Matt Collins said: “The sentence reflects the danger Cooper poses to children. It also demonstrates the power of the SHPOs in allowing us to monitor the behaviour of sex offenders and shows how seriously the courts treat offenders who breach them.

“This case also shows the dangers of social media and how it is important for parents to be aware of what their child is doing online. Children sharing sexually explicit conversations or images or videos of themselves is always wrong and should be reported to police or another person in authority such as a teacher or parent.”