A SEX offender breached a court order by swimming in a pool with children.

Kristoffer Round, formerly of Worcester, breached a sexual offences prevention order when he swam in the pool at Pershore Leisure Centre while schoolchildren were in the water.

The 37-year-old appeared before Worcester Crown Court on Friday, April 21 to be sentenced after admitting the breach at Worcester Magistrates Court on March 24 this year.

The order has been in place since February 24, 2013 and prohibits Round from having any contact with children under the age of 16 other than contact which is unavoidable in the course of daily life. He was jailed for 12 months for breaching it in 2013, for 14 weeks last year for another breach and for two weeks later the same year, also for a breach.

Michael Conry, prosecuting, said Round joined the gym on March 9 for one month at a time when the centre was being used by children.

Round completed a gym induction and used the swimming pool when children were present.

Mr Conry said: "He bought himself some swimming trunks and wanted to learn to swim."

Round, of no fixed abode, has previous convictions for possession of indecent images of children.

Clare Fear, defending, said: "The defendant has breached the order on a number of occasions.

"I ask your honour to consider suspending the sentence for the following reason – it's quite clear that the short bursts of custody have not assisted him in any way whatsoever. "

Miss Fear said her client was concerned that being in prison was normalising it and that he was becoming institutionalised.

She described his judgement as 'significantly lacking' and said he did not think through the consequences of his actions.

"Someone needs to grasp the nettle with this defendant" she said.

Judge Nicolas Cartwright, sentencing, said: "You should not be in a swimming pool with children. On March 9 you joined Pershore Leisure centre as a member. The following day you were back in the swimming pool when school children were using it.

"I'm just persuaded that there's an alternative way of dealing with your case, not a let off by any means but an order that will still have teeth attached to it which may well come back to bite you but will allow you to get your life back on track if you are able to do so."

He imposed a six-month prison sentence, suspended for two years, and ordered Round to complete 30 days of rehabilitation activity.

There will be an alcohol treatment requirement which he must complete as and when he is directed to by the probation service.

If he breaches the order he will appear at the crown court which has greater sentencing powers than the magistrates court.