A dangerous sex offender who claims his electronic tracker fell off his ankle has pleaded not guilty to tampering with the device.

Murray John Winder, 56, appeared in the Perth Magistrates Court via videolink from Greenough Regional Prison on Monday charged with breaching a condition of his bail.

Winder was freed from prison in March 2011 on a 10-year supervision order that was based around him living with his sister.

He was fitted with the tracking anklet in February after pleading guilty to failing to provide a breath sample.

The court heard on July 9 police were notified that Winder’s device had been tampered with and called him to report with the device in person.

But Winder did not report until he was called twice again by police.

The prosecution said Winder told police he may have accidentally hit the device while changing a spare tyre but the marks on the anklet showed it had been tampered with by a small edged tool.

Winder’s defence lawyer said the accused claimed the device had fallen off.

Winder is scheduled to appear in the same court on August 11 to arrange a hearing date.

He was granted bail and ordered to have another tracking device fitted to him.

Chief Magistrate Steven Heath imposed a suppression order on Winder’s address.

Winder is allegedly the first such offender in Western Australia to remove an electronic tracking device.

In releasing Winder from jail in 2011, Supreme Court of Western Australia Justice John McKechnie said he was at high risk of reoffending without supervision.

Winder, who has an intellectual disability, has rape and sexual offences against children on his criminal record, dating back to 1980.