Latest Offenders Kent

Description

A man has been jailed after making indecent images of children.

Neil Pavitt, of Allen Street, Maidstone, was sentenced at Maidstone Crown Court last month.

The 48-year-old “monster” faced charges of voyeurism and making indecent images of a child.

He was sentenced on August 22 to two years and two months in prison.

Pavitt was put on the sex offenders register for 10 years and given two sexual harm prevention orders and a forfeiture and destruction order relating to his laptop and phone.

Speaking after sentencing, one of his victims said: “Neil Pavitt is a child predator and a monster.

“I despise him for what he has done. The custodial sentence brings profound relief and validation after years of pain and suffering.

“I want to express my deepest gratitude to the dedicated team at Kent Police who worked tirelessly to ensure justice was served.”

Description

A child sex offender from Sevenoaks who was captured on dashcam giving a pep talk to himself as he faced allegations of rape has been jailed for almost 20 years.

The recording was seized by Kent Police as part of an investigation into a catalogue of offences committed by Karl Fisher between 2018 and 2022.

Fisher subjected his young victim to repeated and systematic abuse, which included incidents when he would make them wear an eye mask, as well as headphones playing loud music.

The evidence on the dashcam was captured shortly before Fisher knew he was about to be arrested, on 27 May 2022.

When the device was analysed by investigating officers, he was heard offering himself words of encouragement, including ‘you’ve got this’ and ‘you’ve still got options’.

Guilty by unanimous verdict

At Maidstone Crown Court, Fisher, 34, admitted charges of taking indecent images of a child, and causing a child to engage in sexual activity but denied offences which included at least five rapes, as well as repeated sexual assaults and witness intimidation.

The case went to trial and a jury found him guilty by unanimous verdict.

On 23 September 2024, Fisher was sentenced to 19 years and six months’ imprisonment.

He was deemed as ‘dangerous’ by the judge and will have to serve two thirds of the sentence before he can apply for parole.

Upon his eventual release from prison, Fisher will be subject to an extended licence period of four years. He was also added to the sex offenders register for life.

Description

A Medway resident who breached his sexual harm prevention order (SHPO) has been jailed.

Ben Champion was convicted at Maidstone Crown Court in 2020 of making indecent images of children, and was made subject of a court order that placed strict conditions on his behaviour indefinitely.

These included restrictions preventing any unsupervised contact with children, notifying the police if he stayed at a new address for more than seven days and retaining his internet history for inspection by officers.

Breaches

On 18 April 2024, constables attended Champion’s registered home and found he had been residing at a different property.

Their enquiries also found he had been in contact with children and had deleted some of the internet history on his phone.

Champion, of Old Road, Chatham, was arrested and charged with multiple breaches of his sexual harm prevention order between March and April.

Jailed

He pleaded guilty at Maidstone Crown Court and, on Tuesday 17 September, the 31-year-old was jailed for two years and eight months.

Description

A depraved pensioner who groomed a vulnerable teenager he met online by paying him hundreds of pounds in cash has been jailed.

David Smith knew from the outset of speaking to the boy in a Kik chatroom that he was underage and, as soon as the communication switched to WhatsApp, it turned sexual, Maidstone Crown Court heard.

The 68-year-old, described as "dangerous and manipulative", asked the youngster for explicit photographs and to perform sex acts on camera.

He pestered him even when he was at school and into the early hours when his parents were asleep.

The Rainham sex offender also preyed on the boy's emotions, describing how he was lonely, depressed and suffering from cancer.

The victim later told police how he had been profoundly affected by the online abuse and cruelly bullied by his peers after they heard about his ordeal.

Prosecutor Allister Walker told the court that Smith transferred a total of 845 to the teenager over the four months that they were talking.

At the time of his warped communications, which were also conducted over the Telegram app, Smith was on bail having been caught out in a police sting for similar behaviour.

Unbeknown to the pervert, the 12-year-old boy he was grooming over a month-long period was an undercover officer.

Again, they had met through Kik, in a chatroom called Schoolboys, with Smith calling himself Peter Fowler and with the username hugsandcuddles67.

They then exchanged messages and images via SnapChat.

It is clear that the officer told the defendant his age - that he was 12, referred to being at school and his profile was one of a child in school uniform, said Mr Walker.

They talked about him (the undercover officer) being in a changing room getting ready for PE.

The defendant asked if there were any boys there that he fancied, what they might be wearing and if he could see their 'bulges'.

The boy (officer) talked about going to the cinema but the defendant would turn the conversation sexual.

The nature of it clearly demonstrates grooming, telling him he was sexy, asking for pictures, and saying he would love to be the guy who teaches you things.

The defendant said he was aroused and if they met they could have sexy fun.

The court heard Smith also suggested on several occasions about meeting up but later messaged to say he was disappointed it could not go ahead as he was due to have a knee operation.

A week later he was arrested at his home in Childscroft Road. He told police he talked to a lot of people online and if he had known the age he would have stopped.

But, having been bailed, he continued to groom the other boy, even telling him about his arrest, and to send him money.

Smith, who has two previous convictions for possessing indecent images in 2002 and 2006, was re-arrested in February this year and gave a 'No comment' interview.

The court heard he later pleaded guilty to attempted sexual communication with a child and arranging or facilitating the commission of a child sex offence in respect of the undercover officer.

But it was not until the first day of trial when the teenager had attended court that offences of causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity and sexual communication with a child were admitted.

In a victim impact statement, the boy told police of the many difficulties he had faced as a consequence of the abuse and for which he had had to undergo therapy.

It's scary there are people online who would take advantage of children, he said. I really hope this doesn't happen to any other children and David gets the punishment he deserves.

Toby Long, defending, said his client had acknowledged he was sexually attracted to children, had expressed shame and remorse, and was motivated to address his behaviour.

The trigger, he added, was a prolonged grief disorder following the death of his mum in 2018, together with social isolation and his prostate cancer diagnosis.

He went down a rabbit hole of constant online chatrooms, mostly talking to adults and lapsing on two occasions, said Mr Long.

He tells me he is extremely remorseful and deeply ashamed and wants to apologise for the trauma and distress caused.

Jailing Smith on Friday (September 13) for a total of nine years, of which he will have to serve at least two-thirds before he can apply for parole, Judge Philip Statman said he posed a significant risk of harm to children.

"Despite your low mood, you have persisted in seeking sexual gratification and you are someone capable of grooming and manipulating your victims," he told the pensioner.

"In my judgment, having looked at everything I know about you, including your background, your employment in the past, your attitude towards your late mother and your previous relevant convictions which are an aggravating feature despite their age and the period of time that has elapsed between them and this offence, all of those matters support the view that I have that you are dangerous.

Smith was also told that once released, any licence period will be extended by two years.

He will also be subject to lifelong sex offender notification requirements and an indefinite sexual harm prevention order.

Description

A child sex abuser has been jailed for 14 years after a jury saw through his lies.

David Spowage, from Rochester, committed offences including rape, sexual assault and taking an indecent image of a child, against a teenage girl in August 2022.

He was arrested and later charged after the victim reported the crimes.

The 39-year-old denied the offences but a jury at Maidstone Crown Court found him guilty at an earlier trial and on Friday, August 30 he was jailed for 14 years.

Investigating officer Detective Constable Ellie Allen said: Spowage targeted the teenager for his own sexual gratification.

He denied the charges and put her through the ordeal of a trial, hoping to not be found guilty but the jury saw through his lies.

I want to commend the victims bravery and courage in reporting his offending.

His lengthy sentence will ensure he can no longer harm anyone else.

Description

A man who subjected a girl to repeated sexual abuse over the course of a year has been jailed.

Steve Adams started to abuse the girl in January 2019 before she was able to disclose the offences. 

The 67-year-old from Marine Parade, Sheerness was arrested and later charged with sexual assaults.

He denied the allegations but a jury at Maidstone Crown Court found him guilty and on Thursday 29 August 2024 at the same court was jailed for a total of 13 years.

Description

A paedophile who hid behind fake personas in twisted online chats to encourage a teenage girl to send him indecent photos and engage in sex acts ended up losing his marriage and friends.

Canterbury Crown Court heard Andrew Rickards initially posed as a 14-year-old girl with the username 'Amybum' to engage with the victim in January 2022.

Under that guise of being 'Amy from Ashford', the pervert then introduced his second false identity - that of a man of varying ages called 'James' - into his depraved communications.

Having told the 13-year-old that 'James' was 36 and would be "driven crazy" by her, 'Amy' handed over his online account details for the social media platform, Discord.

The younger girl then contacted him, resulting in Rickards, who this time said he was 28 and kept details of his address limited to 'in Kent', indulging in what were described as "sustained and persistent" sexualised conversations over the course of several days.

Undeterred by her age, these included him asking for photos of the victim wearing her school uniform and lifting up her top to reveal her bra, as well as inviting her to join him in bed and be "little spoon".

He also described himself as a "sexual dominant turned on by cute, little girls", the court was told.

Prosecutor Kieran Brand explained how at one stage Rickards posed as both 'Amy' and 'James' in the same online chat, asking if the girl was prepared "to do stuff" and have threesomes with them.

There was even talk of taking her shopping at Ann Summers to buy sex toys.

But the court heard the victim was also hiding her true identity - that of an undercover officer - and with the usernames traced to his home, Rickards was arrested in April that year.

Police seized several devices, including a phone and laptop, on which they found indecent images of children, extreme pornography, and other conversations in which he had used the 'Amybum' profile, claiming to be 14 and to have had sex with both men and children.

Rickards, 39, of Arden Drive, Ashford, later admitted two offences of attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child, two of attempting to cause or incite a child to engage in sexual activity, six charges of publishing an obscene article and one of possessing an extreme pornograhic image.

He also admitted three charges of making indecent images of a child in respect of 105 stills and 25 moving clips, and depicting abuse across all three categories of seriousness.

James Burke, defending, told the sentencing hearing on Friday, August 23 that as a result of his offending, Rickards had "lost his marriage and lost his friends".

But his assertion that the defendant's "paedophilic interest" was linked to his poor mental health was rejected by Judge Simon Taylor KC.

"It may be convenient for the defendant to identify that link and may assist him in coming to terms with his offending, but on the evidence available before me there is no link whatsoever," he said.

He also dismissed any suggestion that Rickards could not recall his offending, and said any anxiety he was experiencing was "a consequence of being caught".

Jailing him for a total of two years and 10 months, Judge Taylor said the use of two different personas demonstrated "sophisticated and highly manipulative" offending.

Rickards, who had sat in the dock shaking throughout much of the hearing, mouthed the word 'sorry' to his father, who had attended court in support, as he was led away to start his prison sentence.

On release, he will be subject to indefinite sex offender notification requirements and a 10-year sexual harm prevention order.

Description

A “depraved” sex offender who urged a young girl to sexually abuse her two-month-old relative in exchange for £1,000 has been jailed.

Ben Murphy, 31, also approached two girls while they were playing on the swings at a Sittingbourne park and made indecent suggestions to them which led them to run away.

Murphy, of Raite Green, Sonora Fields, Sittingbourne, also fled the scene in February last year but was arrested two days later after police spotted him on CCTV.

He was charged with inciting a child to engage in sexual activity and remanded in custody before a court appearance.

Murphy had already been due to attend court to be sentenced for several sex offences involving children between January 2020 and March 2021.

During this earlier period, he had contacted five separate children who did not know him, on social media platforms. Murphy asked his victims to send images of themselves, some in their underwear and others carrying out sexual acts.

In one conversation he incited a child to abuse their two-month old relative, and offered to pay her £1,000.

‘Murphy is a depraved individual who poses a considerable risk to young children...’

Murphy also sent indecent images and videos of himself to the victims and asked for private calls so he could further engage in sexual abuse. On another occasion in February 2021, he approached a further child in a Sittingbourne park and asked them to carry out a sexual act. The child refused and fled the scene.

Murphy had been arrested for these earlier offences and had pleaded guilty at Maidstone Crown Court to six indictments of inciting a child to engage in sexual activity and four of possessing indecent images of children. Some of the images were of the most serious category.

As he was awaiting sentencing and subject to strict court bail conditions, he went on to commit the most recent offence when he attended the park near Balas Drive and Sonora Way, Sttingbourne, in February.

He pleaded not guilty to this later offence but was convicted on Friday, following a trial, to inciting a child to engage in sexual activity.

On Tuesday (August 13) he was sentenced to six years in prison, of which he will have to serve two thirds before he is eligible for parole.

On his release he will have to serve a further two years on licence. Murphy will also have to sign the sex offenders’ register and be subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for an indefinite period.

Detective Constable Deniz Aslan said: “Murphy is a depraved individual who poses a considerable risk to young children in person or online. He made vile suggestions and sent indecent images to his vulnerable victims who were very distressed by his actions.”

PC Nadine Stanton, who investigated the most recent incident said: “Murphy showed himself incapable of following restrictions imposed by the court and a prison sentence was the only possible outcome.

“We would like to commend the young victims and their parents who have supported our investigation throughout and assisted us to bring this predator to justice. I hope the prison sentence imposed on Murphy will allow them to start to move on from their ordeal.”

Description

A child sex offender could face another spell behind bars after breaching a court order.

Chrissena Lamar failed to comply with conditions imposed in 2017 after being jailed for a year following a conviction for sexual activity with a child under 14.

The 69-year-old, who was listed as male on court lists but identifies as a woman, had been placed on the sex offenders’ register and told to sign in at a police station once a year.

But the pensioner failed to check in with officers in Dover on March 28 – in breach of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO).

It was not the first time Lamar had failed to comply with the strict conditions of the SHPO, having previously been found with a mobile phone police had not been informed about.

Referring to his client as “she” throughout the hearing, Lamar’s solicitor, James Langridge, told the court his client had mental health issues and had previously been in hospital for some time.

He conceded Lamar had not completed the annual registration in March, but argued the matter could be dealt with via a fine.

Deputy District Judge Claire Luxford decided against sentencing Lamar during a hearing at Folkestone Magistrates on July 31.

She instead asked probation to carry out a pre-sentence report, telling officers and Lamar that all punishments would be considered.

She told the defendant: “This offence is aggravated by your previous convictions and I order an all-options report on you, which will include the option of being sentenced at Canterbury Crown Court.”

Lamar, of Park Street, Dover, was granted bail and will next appear at the same court on the morning of October 3.

Description

Recording devices including sunglasses with a built-in camera were amongst the evidence secured by Kent Police officers that led to the conviction of a sex offender from Ashford.

John Gilliver, of Maidstone Road, Charing, admitted multiple offences including voyeurism before being sentenced at Canterbury Crown Court on Thursday 11 July 2024.

Devices seized

On Sunday 10 July 2022, officers were called to Folkestone Harbour and arrested Gilliver, 62, after he was seen behaving suspiciously and taking photographs on the beach that afternoon.

A pair of sunglasses and a neck chain, capable of recording and storing images, were seized and a search of Gilliver’s home in Charing led to further devices and recording equipment being recovered.

Data downloaded from the devices were found to include indecent images including of children.

The investigation by Kent Police detectives uncovered further offences of voyeurism. Gilliver was found to have secretly installed cameras at the home of a man and a woman he knew, in order to spy on them for purposes of his own gratification.

Gilliver was later charged and pleaded guilty to making indecent images of children, voyeurism and possessing an indecent image. He was jailed for a year and eight months and was also made the subject of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

Description

A convicted sex offender is back behind bars after he tried to engage children in sexual activity online while he was the subject of a court order.

Alan Morris, formerly of Poundhurst Lane, Ruckinge near Ashford, sent sexualised messages – including images of himself – to someone whom he believed to be a child via an internet chat site in February 2024. Morris stated that he was 65 in his messages and also sent videos of sexual material to his online recipient.

Prevention Order

The conversations were in breach of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) which had been issued to Morris in 2018 after he was found guilty of previous offences. The court order forbade him from accessing the internet without informing the authorities, using devices without specific monitoring software on them and a range of other online activities.

Investigation

Following an investigation by Kent Police’s Paedophile Online Investigation Team (POLIT), Morris was arrested on 8 February 2024 - when further examination of his mobile phone uncovered indecent images of children, as well as recent sexual communication. He was charged later the same day.

Morris pleaded guilty to attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child, two counts of making indecent images of a child and distributing an indecent image of a child.

He further admitted attempting to cause a girl to engage in sexual activity, attempting to cause a child to look at sexual activity, and attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child - relating to offences also uncovered by POLIT, when Morris believed he was communicating with a child in October 2023.

Jailed

On Monday 1 July, Morris was sentenced at Canterbury Crown Court to six years in prison - including a year’s imprisonment for breach of an SHPO - with four years to serve on licence upon his release.

Description

A pervert simulated a sex act while menacing a terrified student waiting for a train at Canterbury West station.

For over an hour, and captured on CCTV throughout, Damien Olubek subjected his victim, who he did not know, to what was described as being among the "greatest fears" for a lone female traveller.

The 21-year-old repeatedly asked the woman for kisses and hugs, poked, squeezed and touched her arm and leg, and tried to pull her hand towards his crotch area as he performed his lewd act.

He had even followed her from a bench outside the station where he had first troubled her and onto a platform, where a member of the public eventually came to her aid and alerted station staff.

Olubek, who lives in Margate High Street, then tried to avoid being identified by telling an officer his name was 'Steven Gerrard' before fleeing.

But although it was said on his behalf at Canterbury Crown Court that the touching of the victim was not in itself sexual, Judge Mark Weekes remarked that the "aggressive, humiliating and frightening" behaviour could not be merely regarded as the actions of what is colloquially termed a "sex pest".

Sentencing Olubek on June 26, the judge told him: "The victim was subjected to what must have been for her a very distressing and alarming ordeal, lasting over an hour, in which you engaged in behaviour which sometimes, erroneously in my opinion, is referred to as acting like a sex pest.

Description

A "depraved" physiotherapist who convinced his patients to take off their clothes for what he claimed were necessary treatments has been put behind bars for six years. Purnoor Bawa, 44, told the women that removing their clothing was a standard procedure required to treat their injuries.

However, once they were undressed, Bawa would proceed to sexually assault them, touching areas unrelated to their treatment, said police. Labelled as a 'danger to women', he exploited seven women across a span of five years. Bawa denied eight counts of sexual assault but was found guilty after a trial at Woolwich Crown Court and received a six-year sentence on Friday (June 14).

The court was informed that in December 2018, Kent Police responded to an incident at Bawa's workplace in Gravesend where he had reportedly conducted an inappropriate massage on a patient being treated for an ankle injury. At that time, Bawa was already under restrictions to work only with a chaperone present due to ongoing investigations by the Health and Care Professions Tribunal Service (HCPTS) into his conduct.

An earlier hearing by an HCPTS tribunal panel revealed that Bawa, during sessions with a woman recovering from a car accident, asked her to take off her bra and massaged her breasts without any clothing. Feeling "groomed" after the encounter, the woman reported Bawa to the authorities. Bawa, who moved to the UK from India in 2003, had worked with various NHS Trusts from 2005 until 2018.

In 2017, he started his own private practice, offering physiotherapy services in Gravesend and Dartford. After the December 2018 incident, Bawa was arrested and was later released while further enquiries were underway. These included revisiting two previous reports against Bawa which, at the time, hadn't met the evidential threshold for prosecution.

By April of the following year, five women had stepped forward. Detailed investigations into each case provided enough evidence to charge Bawa. Kent Police's press release on the charges prompted two additional victims to report offences Bawa had committed against them.

Despite denying eight counts of sexual assault, Bawa was convicted after a trial and received a six-year prison sentence last week. Detective Constable Peter Hylands, the officer in charge of the investigation, said that Bawa's victims' testimonies clearly showed he "belongs behind bars".

Hylands stated: "Purnoor Bawa manipulated and groomed his victims, making them think his actions were justified when in reality he was taking advantage of them for his own depraved ends. Each offence was committed in the privacy of Bawa's treatment room where there were no independent witnesses, CCTV cameras or any other forms of evidence."

The detective also highlighted the bravery of the victims: "It is therefore almost entirely down to the courage of each victim and their strength in numbers that we were able to prove beyond any reasonable doubt that Bawa had sexually assaulted them. He has shown that not only is he unfit to practice as a physiotherapist, but he is also a danger to women and belongs behind bars."

Description

A registered sex offender who breached his Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) multiple times has been jailed.

Graham Robinson, from Faversham, was convicted at Canterbury Crown Court in 2018 of possessing indecent images of children and was made subject to strict conditions on his behaviour.

These included restrictions around his access to mobile phones or computers and his use of the internet.

He was also required to notify the police of any devices and bank accounts he possessed and allow his devices to be examined whenever it was requested.

The SHPO also required Robinson to install monitoring software on his phone and other internet-enabled devices, to allow officers to check he was not committing further offences or breaching the conditions imposed by the court.

Between 2020 and 2022, investigators completed unannounced visits to Robinson’s home and discovered multiple breaches.

On one occasion, a smartphone was recovered at his property that he claimed belonged to a friend.

When the officers called the number they had had for Robinson the phone rang and it was seized.

Two phones and two internet-enabled devices that he hadn’t declared were recovered during a further inspection and investigators found Robinson had been using software to wipe his phone and computer.

In February 2022, Robinson was arrested and officers located a tablet, multiple USB drives and other storage devices at his home.

They also found he had several bank cards and accounts he had not disclosed.

During the search, the constables seized a flick knife and a credit card that concealed three blades.

The devices seized from Robinson were forensically examined and found to contain more than 460,000 images.

A proportion of the content was reviewed, and officers discovered 138 indecent images of children.

Eight were of the most serious category. There was also evidence of 23 extreme pornographic images.

Robinson, of Beech Close, was later charged and, at Maidstone Crown Court pleaded guilty to three counts of making indecent images of a child, three counts of possessing extreme pornographic images, seven counts of breaching his sexual harm prevention order, three counts of failing to comply with notification requirements of the sex offenders register and having an offensive weapon in a private place.

Today (Thursday, June 13) the 66-year-old was sentenced to three years in jail.

He was also handed a Sexual Harm Prevention Order which will remain in place for 15 years and was also added to the Sex Offender’s Register indefinitely.

Detective constable Jamie Easdown, of the Swale offender management unit, said: “We regularly visit registered sex offenders living in our communities to monitor their conduct and ensure they are complying with any conditions in place to prevent further crimes. We install software on their devices to monitor activity online and will promptly complete searches at home addresses if we suspect further offences.

“In this way, we endeavour to protect the most vulnerable in our community and, where any breaches are discovered, they will be arrested and brought back before the court to answer for their actions.”

Description

A registered sex offender who continued to target young girls online has been jailed.

Police were alerted to Alfie Murray’s reoffending after receiving a report from a girl last October about indecent messages she had received from a man online.

Investigators identified Murray, who is from Medway, as the offender with the usernames KLOWN.7010 and ALFIEMILWALL85.

He had asked for indecent images, made threats and caused the victim considerable distress until she blocked him from contacting her.

Murray was convicted on June 1, 2022, of sex offences involving children and was made subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO).

This had a number of conditions which included notifying the police if he took possession of an internet-enabled device or had any unsupervised communication with a child aged under 16.

He also had to make his devices available for inspection by a police officer and allow monitoring software to be installed.

“Murray has exhibited a willingness to breach the conditions of his court order and subject further children to his appalling obscene conduct…”

Murray was arrested on January 4 this year and when officers searched his house they recovered undeclared internet-enabled devices and proof he had been contacting many other children.

Murray, of Queens Road, Gillingham, was charged and pleaded guilty at Maidstone Crown Court to six counts of breaching his SHPO, one count of breaching his sex offender notification requirements and one count of communicating sexually with a child.

The 32-year-old was sentenced last Thursday (May 30) to three years’ imprisonment.

This included the activation of a suspended sentence and he will have to serve 18 months in prison with the remainder to be completed on licence.

PC Leona Valsler, of the Medway Offender Management Unit, said: “We regularly visit registered sex offenders who are subject to court orders and notification requirements, to monitor their behaviour and prevent them committing further crimes.

“We also install software on their phones and computers to monitor activity online and will make unannounced visits at their home addresses to check their compliance.

“Murray has exhibited a willingness to breach the conditions of his court order and subject further children to his appalling obscene conduct. He has shown himself to be entirely untrustworthy and the court has quite rightly sent him to prison.”