Being subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO)
A Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO), previously known as a Sexual Offence Prevention Order (SOPO), is a court order that can be requested by the police or the court when there is a specific concern about an individual. This court order will be requested in order to prevent a person from engaging in a particular activity.
It is very common for a person who is convicted of offences relating to the access of sexual images of children, to be subject of a SHPO. Examples of conditions set by the order include:
- Not being allowed to go to places where there are likely to be lots of children e.g. a playground in a park
- No access to the internet without installed computer monitoring software
- No deleting of internet history
The police are required to go to your place of residence without giving you notice, to ensure that you are complying with your conditions.