Falmouth sex pal claims he breached court order to play Football Manager

A man who tricked a vulnerable teenager into having sex with him has been recalled to prison after flouting a court order banning him from using certain apps on his phone, which he said he deleted so he could play Football Manager. In November 2020, 26-year-old Jamie Tonkin was sentenced to five years in prison after pleading guilty to three counts of causing a person with a mental disorder to engage in sexual activity.

Tonkin, of High Street, Falmouth, had been on parole for 13 months and was said to be engaging well with his probation officers when he was found to have installed and uninstalled certain apps on his smartphone. These included social media apps such as Telegram and Instagram, and he used the forum website Reddit under a name other than his own.

In April this year, he pleaded guilty to three counts of a sexual harm prevention order imposed on him in 2020 and was recalled to prison to complete his five-year sentence.

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Appearing before Truro Crown Court via video link for sentencing on Friday (May 10), Hollie Gilbery, prosecuting, said the offenses took place when her probation officer noticed some discrepancy in her browser history and his smartphone was examined by the police. She said installing and uninstalling certain apps and social media wiped the history, which Tonkin was prevented from doing by the order.

She also told the court that Tonkin was also banned from using pseudonyms online, which he did when he used Reddit. Christopher Spencer, defending, said Tonkin admitted the offenses at the first opportunity but did not realize exactly what the terms of the sexual harm prevention order entailed.

He added: “He used to play Football Manager on his phone when he was on his way to meet his probation officers. The game required a certain capacity on his phone, which is why he was installing and uninstalling apps.

“The reasoning is that his phone had limited storage capacity and he was just playing on that game and deleting apps to make room for it. It wasn’t doing anything it was supposed to be doing with these apps. he fully understands the implications of the order made against him.”

Judge Robert Linford sentenced Tonkin to 12 months in prison for the three offenses which will run concurrently with the remainder of his original prison term, which ends in July 2025.