A DARTMOOR prisoner deliberately got himself arrested and sent back to jail the day after his release because he could not cope with being free.

Sex offender Mark Jarrett called the police to say he was in a children’s park and in breach of an order that he should not go within 50 metres of play areas.

He had only been out of Dartmoor Prison, in Princetown, for one night after being jailed for doing exactly the same thing last year.

Jarrett, aged 50, has two previous convictions for downloading child abuse images and in the past has told probation officers that he is sexually attracted to children.

He is subject of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) which prohibits any contact with children or going to any park where they may be playing.

He was released from prison on July 31 this year and found himself homeless after a place at a post-release hostel in Plymouth fell through.

After spending one night on the streets of Torbay, he went to Upton Recreation Park in Torquay and called the police to ask to be arrested.

When they arrived, they found there were no children in the park but still detained him.

Jarrett, of no fixed address, admitted breaching a SHPO and was jailed for 12 months by Recorder Mr Paul Dunkels, QC, at Exeter Crown Court.

He told him: ‘I accept that your motivation was that you wanted to get yourself arrested and back into custody and an environment where you feel able to cope and have food and a bed for the night.

‘Having been released from Dartmoor the day before, you found yourself with nowhere to go and resorted to your previous conduct so you could get back to an environment where you feel more secure.

‘There were no children in the park and you did not present an immediate threat to anybody.

‘For how long the criminal justice system can continue to provide you with accommodation, I don’t know.’

Hollie Gilbery, prosecuting, said Jarrett was arrested the day after his release and had three previous convictions for similar breaches.

Kevin Hopper, defending, said Jarrett described himself as feeling safe in prison and liked being there because he was fed and had a roof over his head.

He said: ‘This is a strange motivation which arose in this occasion from his accommodation falling through.’

Jarrett was released just before the half-way point of a 30-month sentence imposed by Judge Erik Salomonsen in June 2017.

On that occasion he called the police from a play park but they did not come to arrest him so he went to a showing of the children’s film Boss Baby and was then detained.