Latest Offenders East Sussex

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An Eastbourne woman has been sent to prison after being convicted of exploiting a vulnerable teenage boy for sexual purposes, Sussex Police have said.

Police said that Carole Taylor, 35, of Seaside Road, was sentenced to a total of five years imprisonment at Brighton Crown Court on Friday (January 14), following a Sussex Police investigation.

Police said she had been convicted in December after a six-day trial at Chichester Crown Court of two counts of sexual activity of a child, of meeting a child following sexual grooming, and sexual communication with a child.

She will be a registered sex offender for life, police confirmed.

Detective Sergeant Michaela Haddock of the East Sussex Safeguarding investigations Unit said: [The boys] extraordinary bravery in providing evidence in this case is admirable and no doubt played a vital part in the jury returning the unanimous verdict that they did.

The sentence reflects the seriousness of the irreparable impact that Taylors behaviour has had on this child but I hope that it will now allow him to move forward positively with his life.

She added: All reports of the abuse of children are taken extremely seriously and anyone with information about any such offending can contact us at any time and arrange to talk in confidence to our investigators.

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An Eastbourne man who sexually abused a young girl for five years has now been given a 14-year prison sentence after an investigation by safeguarding detectives from Sussex Police.

John Gibbs, 50, a cleaner, of Shanklin Close, Eastbourne, was sentenced at Lewes Crown Court on Thursday 11 November, having been found guilty of two counts the rape and three counts of sexual assault on the child who was under 13 at the time.

He will be a registered sex offender for life and was also given a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) to last until further court decision, prohibiting him from any contact with his victim or her family, and from living in any household where there are children under 16.

Detective Constable Hugh Charles of Sussex Police said; "Gibbs came to know the girl and over a period of time he ingratiated himself with her and initially gained her confidence before systematically sexually abusing her, solely for his own pleasure.

"Only when she eventually felt able to disclose to family members what had happened was this reported to us, and action was taken immediately, resulting in Gibbs' arrest and three years later in his subsequent prosecution."

The victim's mother said, on hearing of the sentencing: “This result was all my daughter wanted, for him to know he’d done wrong. For the first time in three years, she’s gone to the shops to buy sweets without having to look over her shoulder, and I hope sooner than later we will get to see a smile again.

“I also want to thank the police and the support services at Survivors Network for all their hard work and support they have given to me and my daughter”

Hugh Charles added: "I also want to thank my colleagues, Detective Constables Steve Wormley, Lisa Wells and Laura Powell for all their work in helping to bring Gibbs to justice. This was a team effort on behalf of the victim"

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A Bexhill man who paid to receive photos of sexual abuse of a child in the Philippines, each one posed as he required, is now starting a six-year prison sentence, following an investigation by Sussex Police detectives working with the UK National Crime Agency (NCA) and officers in the Philippines National Police.

Michael Wilkinson, 36, a decorator, was sentenced to a total of six years imprisonment at Hove Crown Court on 10 November, having admitted inciting and facilitating the sexual exploitation of a child under 13, making indecent images of children and possessing prohibited and extreme images.

He will be a registered sex offender for life and was also given a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) which severely restricts his access to children and digital devices for life, It also imposes a five-year travel restriction order on him from from the day of his release, which police can apply to renew every five years.

Detective Constable Richard Gill of the Sussex Police Paedophile Online Investigation Team (POLIT) said: "The investigation began in April 2020 when we received intelligence that Wilkinson was downloading indecent images of children.

"That was confirmed when we executed a warrant at his address and seized his phone and other devices, but only then as our enquiries continued did we realise that he had also been paying through a third party in the Philippines, for a girl, aged between nine and 12, to pose for indecent photos which were then sent over to him.

"In one instance he received video of her, but otherwise he received still images, in specific poses which he had ordered as part of the transaction.

"It became clear that Wilkinson had made contacts in the country whilst backpacking some years ago, and used them to make contact with the family concerned for his own sexual gratification over an extended period.

"We worked very closely with the NCA's international network, who liaised with PICACC (the Philippine Internet Crimes Against Children Center). They were ultimately responsible for tracking down the child in this case and safeguarding her and her sisters.

"This was a great example of inter-agency and international law enforcement co-operation which has reached out across more than 10,000 miles to take action against a predatory offender and safeguard innocent children."

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An electrician who admitted murdering two women in 1987 also sexually attacked scores of corpses in a hospital mortuary in the worst offending of its kind in British legal history, prosecutors say.

David Fuller pleaded guilty to murdering Wendy Knell, 25, and Caroline Pierce, 20, in separate attacks in Tunbridge Wells, Kent police said.

The 67-year-old changed his pleas on Thursday partway through his trial at Maidstone crown court, which heard that he sexually assaulted the two women after killing them. He had admitted killing both women but originally pleaded not guilty to murder on the grounds of diminished responsibility.

His trial heard that he also sexually assaulted women’s corpses in the mortuaries at Kent and Sussex hospital and Tunbridge Wells hospital while working there.

Police have detected at least 99 potential victims of Fuller, in what is believed to be the worst case of necrophilia in British legal history.

Before his murder trial, he pleaded guilty to 51 other offences, including 44 charges relating to 78 victims identified who were attacked in mortuaries, which he had access to through his work as an electrician. The attacks on the corpses are believed to have been committed between 2008 and November 2020.

In footage released by Kent police of Fuller’s interview with detectives, he says: “I want to admit … I am admitting the offences but I don’t really want to go into detail.”

When Fuller’s home was raided police discovered 4m images of sexual abuse. Most were downloaded from the internet, but Fuller had also recorded himself abusing bodies.

The CPS said Fuller’s necrophilia was unprecedented in British legal history: “Searches of Fuller’s home following his arrest uncovered hard drives concealed in a hide in his home, revealing evidence of prolific sexual offending of a kind no British court has seen before.

“Between 2008 and 2020, Fuller had filmed and photographed himself sexually abusing the bodies of dozens of women and girls at two Tunbridge Wells hospital mortuaries he was able to access through his job as the maintenance supervisor.”

Knell was found dead in her apartment with severe injuries in Guildford Road on 23 June 1987. Pierce was killed five months later, on 24 November, outside her home in Grosvenor Park. Neighbours described hearing screams from her flat on the night in question, the court heard on Monday. She was reported missing, and her body was later discovered in a water-filled dyke at St Mary-in-the-Marsh on 15 December 1987. DNA evidence from both women’s bodies linked Fuller to their killings.

There were reports of “prowler activity” in the lead-up to both women’s deaths, with local people reporting a voyeur looking through their windows.

Fuller was arrested for murder on 3 December last year after new analysis of decades-old DNA evidence, and officers searched his home. There they found images of dead women at the two hospital mortuaries being abused by Fuller, the prosecutor, Duncan Atkinson QC, said on Monday.

Officers then found four hard drives with 5TB of data storage in total attached to the back of a cupboard. “When these hard drives were examined, they were found to contain a library of unimaginable sexual depravity,” Atkinson said.

In a police interview, Fuller admitted to using Facebook to search for photos of the people he abused in the mortuary.

In relation to identifying and naming the files containing images of his offending against dead people, he said he had gone back to name them at a later stage, using the ledgers from the mortuary and identification tags on the bodies, Atkinson said.

He added: “He admitted to searching for them on the internet, including on Facebook. He claimed that this would be after the offending, rather than research before offending.”

Atkinson said these images provided evidence that Fuller committed the acts out of “sexual gratification” and not mental illness.

The home secretary, Priti Patel, said she hoped the victims’ families could “find some solace in seeing justice finally done”. Describing the case as shocking, she added: “The sickening nature of the crimes committed will understandably cause public revulsion and concern.”

Libby Clark, of the CPS, said: “This highly dangerous man has inflicted unimaginable suffering on countless families and he has only admitted his long-held secrets when confronted with overwhelming evidence.

“I have no doubt he would still be offending to this day had it not been for this painstaking investigation and prosecution.”

Sajid Javid, the health secretary, said the NHS had written to all health trusts asking for mortuary access and postmortem activities to be reviewed. An independent review has started at the trust where Fuller worked and the Human Tissue Authority has been asked for advice on whether rules need to be changed.

A date for Fuller’s sentencing has not yet been set.

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A 56-YEAR-OLD man has been arrested and charged for attempting to meet a young girl for sex.

Police were called to Pevensey Bay Road, Eastbourne, at around 9pm on Friday, October 8, following concerns from members of the public.

Officers attended and Gary Frape, 56, of Honeycrag Court, Polegate, was arrested.

He was later charged with attempting to meet a girl under 16 years of age following grooming, attempting to cause/incite a girl under 13 to engage in sexual activity and arranging the commission of a child sex offence.

He appeared at Brighton Magistrates Court on Monday, October 11 where he pleaded not guilty to attempting to cause/incite a girl under 13 to engage in sexual activity.

He entered no plea to the other charges.

Frape was remanded into custody until trial at crown court at a date to be confirmed.

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A Newhaven man who engaged in sexualised online conversation with young girls has been sent to prison.

Andrew Leadbitter, 55, a service engineer, of Hillcrest Road, Newhaven, was given the sentence, totalling two and a quarter years, at Lewes Crown Court on 8 September.

He had admitted two offences of attempted sexual communication with two separate girls, attempting to engage a third girl in sexual activity, three offences of making indecent images of children and one offence of possessing extreme pornographic images.

He will be a registered sex offender for 10 years and was also given a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) to last until further court order, severely restricting his access to children and digital devices.

Detective Constable Gary Baker of the Sussex Police Paedophile Online Investigation Team (POLIT) said: "Leadbitter systematically sought out opportunities for sexual conversation with young girls, and went so far as to arrange a meeting with one of them only to back out at the last moment.

"However this activity came to our notice and he has now been brought to justice. We will continue to pursue such offenders in order to safeguard children."

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Two men from St Leonards have been jailed after pleading guilty to making and distributing indecent images of children.

Joe Wibberley, 30, of Battle Road, St Leonards, and Karl James, 30, also of Battle Road, St Leonards, were both sentenced at Lewes Crown Court.

At Hastings Magistrates Court in February, Wibberley indicated a plea of guilty to distributing two Category A and two Category B indecent images of children. The offences took place between December 15, 2017, and October 22, 2018.

He also indicated guilty pleas to charges of making no fewer than 334 Category A indecent images of children, 208 Category B indecent images of children and 673 Category C indecent images of children, on, or before, October 30, 2018.

James indicated a plea of guilty to distributing five Category A indecent images of children and one Category A indecent movie of children. He indicated guilty pleas to distributing two Category B video images of children and one Category C image of children. The offences took place between December 15, 2017, and October 22, 2018.

He also indicated guilty pleas to charges of making no fewer than 237 Category A indecent images of children, 261 Category B indecent images of children and 287 Category C indecent images of children, on, or before, October 30, 2018.

Both men were released on conditional bail before they were sentenced on March 3. At Lewes Crown Court on that day, both men were sentenced to a total of 24 months imprisonment, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) confirmed.

A sexual harm prevention order was also put in place for both Wibberley and James for a period of ten years.

Sussex Police said none of the images were believed to be of local children.

A spokesman for the force said: This prosecution resulted from an intelligence-led investigation by officers from the Paedophile On Line Investigation Team of Sussex Police.

The images were found to have been obtained from the Internet and none are believed to be of local children. We will always follow up such reports.

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Jason Tilbury, 50, of Crowborough Road, Hastings, appeared at Teesside Crown Court on January 14, where he pleaded guilty to arranging and facilitating the commission of a child sex offence, Teesside Crown Court has confirmed.

A spokesman said Tilbury was given a 27-month prison sentence.

He was also given a sexual harm prevention order for ten years, and was placed on the sex offenders register for ten years, the Teesside Crown Court spokesman added.

Durham Police said they were made aware of the incident by Dark Justice – an online child protection organisation based in Newcastle.

A charge of assault by beating remained on file, according to Teesside Crown Court, with no action proceeded with.

A Durham Constabulary spokeswoman said: “We were initially informed of this case by Dark Justice. We have since carried out a full investigation using both the information provided to us by the group, and information gathered through enquiries by detectives, which has resulted in the court hearing.”

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William Bushby, 83, of Mongers Lane, Lewes, East Sussex, was convicted of eight counts of indecent assault on a child, said Surrey Police.

He was sentenced to 18 months in prison when he appeared at Guildford Crown Court on June 4.

The crimes took place in Woking and Pirbright, Surrey, said police.

A police spokesman said: Surrey Police launched an investigation after the victim came forward in 2017 and made an allegation of historic sexual abuse dating back to the late 1970s and early 1980s.

Speaking after the sentencing, the victim said: I am delighted with the outcome of this case.

Although I am slightly disappointed with the relative leniency of the sentence, it is still a significant result and testimony to the hard work of the Surrey Police Sexual Offences Investigation Team.

I hope my experience has shown that no matter how long ago a crime was committed it is still worth coming forward to report it.

Truth and justice will find its way out. You will be believed.

Temporary Detective Sergeant Guy Hookway, who investigated the offences, said: William Bushby groomed the victim and completely abused the position of trust he was in, in order to commit sustained sexual abuse on a child over a number of years.

I have nothing but praise and respect for the victim who had the courage to give evidence against Bushby in court. I hope that the guilty verdict will allow the victim to put this behind them and finally move on with their life.

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He is already serving an 11-and-a-half year sentence for similar offences, however has today been given another nine years.

A former 'fitness photographer' has been sentenced to 20-and-a-half years imprisonment this morning after being found guilty of rape, sexual assault, voyeurism, and sedating a number of male models.

Nigel Wilkinson, 45, of no fixed address, was already serving an 11-and-a-half year sentence following an earlier conviction in 2016, after he pleaded guilty to sedating and raping male models who he had lured to his home in Windmill Hill by offering them free photo shoots.

Follwoing his trial, a jury convicted him of one charge of rape, three charges of voyeurism, and five charges of administering a substance with intent, against a total of six men.

Today, nine jurors returned to the courtroom to watch His Honour Judge James Patrick pass his sentence.

Wilkinson himself declined to attend the sentencing.

With regards to his absence, Edward Burgess, mitigating, said: “When he indicated to myself yesterday afternoon that he did not intend to be discourteous to the court, but rather declined as the sentence would be inevitable beyond his expected release date of February 2022.”

His Honour Judge James Patrick said: “The reality is that criminal proceedings are not an option. I take dim view of this choice.”

During Wilkinson's trial, which begain in late November, an ex-prisoner told the jury that Wilkinson had confided in him whilst they were in prison together and told him that he had "many more victims".

The witness told the court that Wilkinson had hoped that the police would stop investigating him as he had more victims than he had been convicted for.

Following the publicity of the 2016 trial, two further victims initially came forward to police.

Further extensive investigations through Wilkinson's revealed a further five victims from across the country - however it is thought that there may be more men who were targeted who may never know if they were raped or sexually assaulted by Wilkinson.

Images released by the police show Wilkinson's home photography studio and bar, where he laced drinks with sedatives before attacking his victims.

During the sentencing hearing, prosecution Sarah Regan summarised some of the impact statements that had been written by Wilkinson's victims.

One man said: “This is the easiest statement I’ve provided. Why? Because I know exactly how this has affected me throughout my life. I pray that it doesn’t continue to affect my life. I hope it will bring us all closure and we can all move on with our lives.

“When I realised what had happened to me I felt stained. I felt like I had been infected against my will. How could someone do this? I have nightmares after nightmares, flashbacks after flashbacks about that night. Reading in the press about how he had been caught in the act and hearing that others been affected I felt sick.

“I often wonder if I had come forward earlier if I could have stopped other people being attacked. I was terrified because I didn’t want to see pictures that he could have taken of me. I was scared he would have taken pictures while he was raping me.

"How would I ever have gotten that out of my head? My question still is did he take pictures while raping me, as some kind of trophy?

“I’m glad that I found the strength to come forward as it means that justice can be served.”

Another victim said: “I don’t trust anyone. I feel uncomfortable being around people I don’t know, and I am calling my parents several times a day.

"I feel isolated, degraded, and as a heterosexual male it’s hard to reach out. The whole court process has been hell at times. This is the sort of case you read about because it’s happened to someone else, but you never realise it could be you.

“I still have trouble with trusting people and holding down a relationship, because I don’t have the confidence. It’s impacted really negatively on other members of my family.”

During the sentencing, Judge Patrick also passed an order that Wilkinson's Twitter account, which is currently still active, be removed. Although his Facebook and Instagram accounts had both been deleted, American social media company Twitter had thus far declined to remove the account, despite his criminal conviction.

Ms Regan called Twitter "difficult" and stated that Wilkinson had given his consent for the account to be removed, however did not provide any of the necessary log-in details to make deletion possible.

In his mitigation Mr Burgess said: “I accept in the spirit of realism rather than defeatism that to argue against the dangerousness of the defendant is very difficult in my position, as your honour has a wealth of evidence contrary to this.”

“However I would encourage the court deals with these matters as a whole. With the greatest respect I resist the conclusion that this was a campaign of rape.”

He suggested the sentence may be reduced slightly due to the fact that each attack in itself was not "sustained", and that although the victim of the rape charge had suffered as a result of the trauma inflicted upon him, there was little evidence to suggest he had been subjected to severe psychological harm.

During his summation with reference to Mr Burgess' suggestions, Judge Patrick said: "I have to regard those submissions but I reject them. This was a prolonged incident.

"It is not possible to know how long it lasted, because of your actions. You drugged this man, in whom you were sexually interested, at sufficient strength for him to pass out or black-out for a significant period, and for him to be unable to resist.

"This was not a momentary offence. You rendered him senseless and raped him. I have no hesitation in concluding that this was a sustained incident.

"He [one of the victims] had suffered nightmares an flashbacks. He feels guilt for not coming forward sooner. He was terrified of having to face you and what you did to him.

"He associates this city with a sense of hatred. He is undergoing counselling to try to address what you did to him. He dreads the day of your release.

"Furthermore, I watched him giving evidence. The distress he showed understanding the reality of what you did to him was genuine. On the basis of what I saw and have read, I conclude that he suffers severe psychological harm."

The court also heard how Wilkinson had claimed his offending was a result of a series of events in 2015 and early 2016 which included resigning from his job due to unhappiness and discovering a lump on his chest - which he feared could lead to his death after his mother and step-father passed away from cancer.

Wilikinson had previously claimed that he committed the offences as he intended to "go out in a blaze of glory".

With regard to this, Judge Patrick said: "In fact, what is now clear is that, long before those even occurred, you had already raped another man and were embarking on a course of drugging men for your own sexual purposes. This was not a short-lived period of offending, this was long in the planning and long in the exectuion.

"I have concluded that you are dangerous within the Criminal Justice Act 2003. I do not accept that you committed these offences against a background of your life spiralling out of control as you suggested.

"The fact that you have refused to attend court for your sentence is of course not determinative, but it displays a cowardly attitude verging on contempt for your victims, and does nothing to allay the court's fears that you are not facing the reality and effect of your offending.

"I bear in mind Mr Burgess's submission that you mean no discourtesy, but have no hesitation in concluding that you are not facing up to the enormity of your criminal behaviour.

"If I were simply to total up the sentences that each offence merits and order that they be served consecutively the resulting total sentence would inevitably be too long. He asks me to pass a sentence which will not crush your hope. I bear that submission in mind, but bear in mind too my public duty to have regard to the effect that you had on the lives not only of your nine victims, but also their partners, families, and friends."

Wilkinson was given an extended sentence of 20-and-a-half years, and will not be eligible for parole until he has served two-thirds of the custodial term.

He has been disqualified from working with children and vulnerable adults for life, and will also remain on the sex offender's register for life.

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Police say that three of the victims were pupils at Windlesham House School in Washington when Michael James Green, 74, from Adrington Close, Hove, taught there as a cricket coach.

Green was convicted at Lewes Crown Court last week of 17 indecent assaults against boys then aged between 12 and 16. He had pleaded not guilty to all the charges.

Police say nine offences were committed against four of the boys, three of whom were separately assaulted at Greens then address in Hove during the early 1980s. He was convicted of four offences against each of two of those boys, three offences against another one, and one offence against the fourth boy.

Police say the other three boys were separately assaulted while pupils at Windlesham House School. Green was convicted of four offences against one of them, three of which were committed during school trips to the cinema in Brighton and one at the school, and two offences against each of the other two boys, one of which was committed at Greens then address, the other three being committed at the school.

The court also heard that Green had been sentenced to nine years imprisonment at Hove Crown Court in February 2014 for four counts of sexual offences against four young boys.

Those 2014 convictions had resulted from an investigation by Brighton detectives into information received in 2011 that a young boy had been sexually assaulted by Green in the early 1980s.

Three further victims came forward during that first investigation.

Detective Constable Dawn Robertson, who was involved with both investigations, said: Greens 2014 sentence received considerable publicity and as a result these seven further victims came forward to us over the ensuing months.

We have great admiration for their readiness to help see justice done, and for giving evidence at Greens trial where he denied the allegations throughout and continues to do so even after conviction, as he did in 2014.

She added: Reports of this type will always be taken seriously and investigated wherever possible. Anyone who wishes to report such offences can contact the police at any time online or by calling 101, and can arrange to talk in confidence to experienced investigators.

Police emphasise that offences relate to a period starting nearly a quarter of a century ago, and that there are no current safeguarding issues in relation the sports activities involved, or to the school who co-operated fully throughout the investigation.

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A dangerous sex predator who raped two women has had his sentence slashed by top judges.

Manipulative, deceitful and sex-obsessed Chiron Hutchinson got 20 years detention in a young offender institution at Maidstone Crown Court on October 25 last year.

Branded a danger to the public, he was ordered to serve an extra eight years on licence after his release.

The 20-year-old, of Mount Pleasant, Uckfield, East Sussex, admitted two counts of sexual activity with a child.

He was convicted of three counts of rape but acquitted of other sex offences, Mr Justice Kerr told London's Appeal Court today.

Hutchinson gave a 14-year-old girl five glasses of Champagne, which made her feel dizzy, before molesting her.

He had sex with the teenager in a park when there was borderline consent, said the judge.

A second victim had drunk a large quantity of alcohol when she met Hutchinson at a Tunbridge Wells nightclub.

He drove the extremely intoxicated 17-year-old to a wooded area where he twice raped her.

A 24-year-old woman had been drinking and smoking some cannabis and was walking home alone when she encountered Hutchinson.

He gave her a lift in his car and, when she realised he was not taking her home, she asked where they were going.

He gave no reply and stopped the car in a wooded area, opened the door and pushed her out.

[An] opportunist who engineered situations to enable him to take advantage of young females... - Judge

She tried to fend him off, but he told her he would punch her if she continued, before raping her.

A probation officer's report described Hutchinson as highly manipulative and having a sense of entitlement.

The judge who locked him up said he was an opportunist who engineered situations to enable him to take advantage of young females.

He singled out victims who were vulnerable because of their age, trusting nature or being drunk.

Hutchinson would then force himself upon them for his own sexual gratification.

The Crown Court judge said Hutchinson was a manipulative, deceitful individual, obsessed with sex.

He had prolifically viewed pornography and used the search term forced sex.

A fantasist and a narcissist, his conduct was predatory and there were fundamental flaws in his character.

Michael Haynes, for Hutchinson, argued his sentence was far too tough and that he had wrongly been labelled dangerous.

It was more a case of an opportunistic young man with a lack of understanding of sexual boundaries than a dangerous sexual predator, he said.

The barrister pointed to Hutchinson's relative youth, having no previous convictions and the short time span of his offending.

Mr Justice Kerr, who was sitting with two other judges, said the Crown Court judge was entitled to make a finding of dangerousness and to impose an extended sentence.

But he added: Grave though the offending was, we agree that the overall sentence was too high given his age, the lack of any previous convictions and the short duration of the offending.

Allowing the appeal, the judge reduced the custodial term from 20 years to 16 years, and the extended licence period from eight years to four years.

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imgbb Photo not received

Released Monday 20th June 2022

An Eastbourne man has been jailed for four years for rape.

Paul Simon Hearn, 44, a cleaner, of St Anthonys Avenue, was sentenced at Hove Crown Court on Thursday December 21.

Hearn had pleaded not guilty but was convicted by a jury.

He was also sentenced to six months imprisonment having been convicted of harassment causing fear of violence against a woman.

The six-month sentence will run consecutively to the four-year sentence.

Hearn had pleaded not guilty to all offences.

The case followed an investigation by detectives from the East Sussex Safeguarding Investigations Unit.

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A builder has been sentenced to a total of eight years imprisonment after being convicted of attempting to meet a 12-year old girl for sex.

Danny Watson, 37, a builder, of Alderbrook Close, Crowborough, was sentenced at Hove Crown Court on Friday having been found guilty that day following a trial of arranging to meet a child aged under 16 following grooming, two counts of possession of cannabis and cocaine, and possession with intent to supply cannabis.

In August last year Watson engaged in indecent on-line contact with someone he believed to be a 12-year old girl, and eventually arranged to meet her in a Brighton street.

However the person he was in contact with was in fact an adult man, who was filming the meeting. He also informed the police, who arrived and arrested Watson.

Watson was already serving a suspended sentence, having been convicted in October the previous year to possession of indecent images of children at his address.

He had been sentenced to three months imprisonment suspended for 12 months, and was also a registered sex offender for seven years.

He is now a registered sex offender for life and was also given a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) to last until further court order, severely restricting his access to children and computers until further court order.

He was also banned for life from any work with children and young people.

Detective Constable Steve Smith said; "Watson was already a convicted sex offender less than a year previously, but clearly decided to take a chance at further offending.

"The sentence shows that the courts will take repeat offending of this type very seriously."

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A MAN has been jailed for seven years for raping two girls.

Michael Manion, 22, unemployed, of Nutley Place, Hove, was sentenced at Hove Crown Court on Monday.

He had been convicted the previous month, following a re-trial, of three counts of raping a nine-year old girl between July 2009 and August 2010.

He had already been convicted, in September last year, of the rape of a 16-year old girl in November 2010, while she was asleep.

Manion received 54 months for each count of the offences against the nine-year old, to run concurrently with a separate sentence of 30 months for the offence against the adult.

He was also made the subject of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order to last indefinitely, severely restricting his access to girls and young women, and will be a registered sex offender for life.

Detective Constable Stewart Cameron from the Brighton Safeguarding Investigations Unit said: "Both victims showed courage in standing up in court and giving their evidence of what Manion did to them.

"The offences weren't reported at once, with both victims coming forward independently at different times in 2013 and 2015. Despite this two separate juries have found him guilty of raping vulnerable females.

"Regardless of how long ago an assault was, anyone who reports incidents of this type to us will be supported and we will investigate."