Vinted harasser jailed for breaking sexual order
Cumbria Police handoutA man who contacted dozens of women through online marketplace Vinted has been jailed for breaching a sexual risk order.
Darrel Carter, 34, was served with the order in 2020 to reduce the risk he posed to women but Carlisle Magistrates' Court heard he had been handed several jail sentences since, including for unlawfully making contact with a 15-year-old girl in 2023.
He sent many messages to female Vinted users in May telling them "how beautiful they were" and searched for "bikinis, mini-shorts and other items", prosecutor Diane Jackson said.
Carter admitted failing to tell police about his online username - part of his order requirements - and was handed an immediate 34-week jail term.
In 2020, a court granted an indefinite sexual risk order against Carter, banning him from contacting girls aged under 18.
Tough restrictions were also placed on his use of electronic devices.
Three years later, Carter admitted unlawfully making contact with a 15-year-old girl, and was handed a 20-month jail term.
On Friday, Carlisle Magistrates' Court heard a "very large number" of female Vinted profiles had been visited by Carter, with him sending "dozens of messages".
Complimenting women
"He was telling them how beautiful they were, complimenting them and asking if they had boyfriends," Jackson said.
Carter, of Carlisle, confirmed the sender's profile was his and, in court, he admitted breaching notification requirements by failing to promptly disclose the username, which was part of his strict order requirements.
The court heard he was given a 27-month prison sentence in November 2024, for breaching a court order.
He had been recalled to serve the balance of this custodial term, and was due for release in mid-February 2027 but had been released from custody on licence in late December.
Defence lawyer Ant Wilson, mitigating, said Carter's mental health had "gone down hill" and he had been "staying in all the time" and "didn't want to bump into anyone who might have known about his convictions".
Magistrates imposed an immediate 34-week jail term to be served concurrently alongside his prison recall period.
