Latest Offenders Kent

Description

An alcoholic paedophile who targeted 'six children' on Facebook, ordering one to not tell her mum, has been jailed.

Steven Boorman, from the Sittingbourne area, believed he was badgering and sending indecent images of himself to underage teenagers.

But the 39-year-old was attempting to simultaneously groom paedophile hunters, telling one to be a big girl, and another mum does not need to know.

Canterbury Crown Court Judge Catherine Brown jailed Boorman, of no fixed abode, for 16 months.

Boorman badgered and pressurised the fake Facebook profiles over a series of weeks in autumn 2020, prosecutors said.

Representing himself from HMP Elmley, he said in mitigation: Ive never done this before, the drink overtook me. I would like to get back to normal, Ive lost all my family.

Boorman will be subject to a lifetime of notification requirements and 10-year sexual harm prevention order.

He pleaded guilty to nine non-contact sexual offences in August last year.

Description

A security expert led a secret life as a child rapist and made his victim "pinky promise" not to reveal the abuse.

Ken Clark had toured China, India and Japan as a high-ranking executive with a nationwide security company and even volunteered to help the NHS during the Covid pandemic.

But behind the facade, he preyed on children as young as three and kept silent with "a pinky promise" where people grip eachother's little fingers and make an agreement.

Family members listened and wept in the public gallery as they heard evidence against the 65-year-old at Maidstone Crown Court.

Clark, formerly of Chapman Avenue, Maidstone, was found guilty of 18 child sex offences, including rape, and having indecent images.

He has now been given a 20-year jail sentence. The judge added an extra year which will be served on licence when the parole board allows him to be freed.

As he was being led away - refusing to look at the public gallery - one mother shouted: "I hope you ******* rot".

In 2012, when he was logistics manager for Secom in Maidstone, he bragged about getting tickets to go to Leeds Castle for the Olympic Torch celebrations.

He wrote: "The weather that week was a lot of rain and despite a few dark clouds, the event went without a drop. Dizzee Rascal and Twist & Pulse performed on stage.

"Lloyds TSB gave us the opportunity to hold a real Olympic Torch and Coca Cola gave away special bottles of coke to drink. Other sponsors gave away frisbees, wrist bands, banners and flags etc.

"I must admit, being there and seeing it caused a lot of emotion for people and I felt honoured to be a part of it."

But a jury heard despite the respectable image Clark was secretly attacking youngsters.

The judge, Recorder Simon Stirling heard during a three-year campaign of rape he left his victims suffering nightmares, panic attacks, suicidal thoughts and probable long-term psychological damage.

One of his victims was particularly vulnerable because of a medical condition.

The sex attacks only ended when one victim spoke out, revealing Clark had made them promise not to say anything.

Even then Clark denied the attacks and tried to blame others - but the jury saw through his lies.

Tom Dunn, defending, told how Clark had enjoyed a career in security providing services for the Chinese government, building hospitals in India and also working in Japan.

He added that now Clark had lost everything, his job, his wife and his home.

But the judge said his contributions to society was nothing in comparison to the damage he had done to his victims - and ruled that he still posed a danger to children.

Description

A perverted courier, who delivered important documents to crown courts in Kent has been branded as "dangerous". Michael Quenby was one of the delivery drivers used by the Crown Prosecution Service for legal items at Maidstone and Canterbury courts. But the 37-year-old, has now been convicted of raping a child and has been given a 19 year extended sentence Judge Philip St John-Stevens told him: "You are a highly manipulative man. It was harrowing watching your victim give evidence. "You robbed your victim of her innocence and childhood." Quenby, who worked for an external company which carried out work outsourced by the CPS, was given an immediate 15 year jail term and the judge added another four years which will be served on licence when he is released. He will serve 10 years before he can apply for parole. A jury at Maidstone Crown Court heard how he secretly preyed on a schoolgirl and kept a stash of illegal child images together with sex toys at his home. They were told four sex dolls and a blue folder containing indecent images of children were found at his home. Quenby, now of Church Lane, Ripple, Deal was convicted of 12 charges of rape and sex assaults. Prosecutor Dominic Connolly told the court how in 2018 the victim was seen by her mother to be upset and was asked the reason why. The young child explained to her what had happened. He said: "Her mother was shocked and horrified. She asked if what she said was true and explained the seriousness of the allegation she was making and the child said it was." Detectives had gone to his former home in East Street, Faversham, where they discovered three laptops, a MacBook and two iPads. In April 2018 he was further quizzed by police and told them they would find deleted indecent images of children on his computer. Mr Connolly added that Quenby said a decade earlier he was in a chat room, where the conversation was about sex. "Her mother was shocked and horrified..." He added: "He said that some of the participants were talking about having sex with children. "Without asking, he was sent indecent images." The prosecutor added that Quenby considered himself to be "asexual in that he wasnt sexually interested in male or female." "He has never had sex. He had never searched the internet for images of children but had searched for adult porn." As the verdicts were delivered, Quenby turned to the public gallery where a member of his family sat but didn't say anything.

Description

A man has been put behind bars for a string of masturbating incidents across South Londons railways, following an investigation by the British Transport Police (BTP). James Gathercole, 36, from Beckenham, repeatedly masturbated in front of women and teenage girls on trains around South-East London before eventually being caught by the police. He was found guilty of ten indecent exposure offences between December 2020 and November 2021. Six of which occurred in one single day. Gathercole was sentenced at London Crown Court in February to sixteen months in prison and will be placed on the sex offenders register for the next ten years. Its clear from Gathercoles persistent and sickening actions that he is a danger to women and girls, and Im pleased to see that after a rigorous investigation this serial offender is no longer free, said BTP detective constable Sonja Lucas. These incidents will have had a serious impact on the victims lives, and no one should have to experience such vile behaviour, she added. The Beckenham man, , was first detained in November last year when a teenage girl approached an off-duty police officer in distress, saying that Gathercole had exposed his genitals and touched himself inappropriately in front of her on a train at New Cross Station. Officers from the BTP shortly arrived at the scene to arrest him and he was remanded in custody. This sparked a months-long dedicated investigation by the BTP into a series of reports about masturbating incidents on trains in South-East London, which were soon linked to Gathercole. The court heard how on 7 August 2021 Gathercole committed six separate offences throughout the afternoon and evening, exposing himself to young women and teenage girls on services between New Cross Gate, Lewisham, and Sydenham stations. BTP detective constable Lucas said: We are absolutely committed to stamping out this behaviour, and we will continue to target patrols to crime hotspots to catch and deter sexual offenders. I would also urge anyone who witnesses or experiences a sexual offence or sexual harassment on the railway to report it to us by texting 61016. We will always take you seriously, she added.

Description

A teenage sexual predator that sexually assaulted a schoolgirl and raped an adult female has been sentenced.

Thomas Robert Birch, (now 18) formerly of Gravesend appeared in front of a judge and admitted the rape on the adult female but denied two counts of sexual assault against the child.

However, Birch who is now living in the Twydall area of Medway was found guilty and convicted on both charges.

The court was told that Birch who was 16 at the time, visited a house belonging to the parents of the victim.

When Birch was left alone, he sneaked up stairs and sexually assaulted the 14-year-old victim whilst she lay in her bed. Birch was fully aware the child was awake and continued to molest her even after she demanded him to stop.

After the attack, Birch calmly went back downstairs, said goodbye to the family members of the victim and left as if nothing had happened.

The victim told her parents who in turn informed the police.

However, the police did not act on the accusations until a woman came forward seven weeks later to say Birch had raped her.

Again Birch denied the rape, however, he finally admitted it when he realised the attack had been filmed on a ring door bell.

Birch escaped a prison sentence and was instead handed a community order and told to register as a sex offender.

Description

A former company boss has been jailed after grooming a child he met using social media apps. David Smith, of Queripel Close, Tunbridge Wells, shared disgusting images and videos on Kik messenger while chatting to the child, who he believed was 12, for 45 minutes. After being confronted, he told police: "Oh god this is the end my life" The 57 year old - known as Kent Guy - was caught after he began chatting on #1 Chatavenue to "Jacob", who he believed was a 12 year old schoolboy, Maidstone Crown Court heard. But prosecutor Martin Yale said it was an undercover police officer and Smith began a two-hour sex chat. As a result, police raided Smith's home and after seizing a hidden iPad which revealed he had been talking to a real child. The device was submitted for forensic analysis. Chat logs were located which illustrated Smith had been involved in explicit communications with other online profiles.

'Smiths use of abhorrent language on chat logs was accompanied with repeated demands for children to send him indecent images...'

A child was identified from the logs who was 12 years old. Smith had sent sexual images of himself to the child and also encouraged them to send indecent photos to him. During a police interview, Smith presented a prepared statement stating he believed that he had been communicating with adults who were using fake profiles. He was charged with attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child, engaging in sexual communication with a child and two counts of causing or inciting a child under 13 to engage in sexual activity. After pleading guilty he was jailed for 28 months and ordered to sign the Sex Offender's Register for 10 years. Judge Julian Smith told him his second victim was real person- a young child "exploring his sexuality". He added: "He sent Smith five pictures of himself and a video. This wasn't a classic case of grooming and this was not face-to-face contact. But the encouragement he gave to the child was sophisticated and effective "They talked about meeting up but it may well be it was just part of Smith's fantasy and he intended nothing of the sort. There was no subsequent meeting and the conversation took 45 minutes..but the impact on the child was real." Nichola Cafferkey, defending, said Smith was suffering from low self-esteem and the chats were a form of "escapism" and he never intended to meet the children. Detective constable Lee Sparks of the Paedophile Online Investigation Team said: "We will do everything in our power to proactively target people like Smith, who seek to commit sexual offences against children, and ensure they receive a prison sentence. "In this case, the evidence was overwhelming. Smiths use of abhorrent language on chat logs was accompanied with repeated demands for children to send him indecent images. "There was also extremely concerning evidence of tentative arrangements by Smith to meet a child to engage in sexual activity."

Description

A delivery driver was caught by paedophile hunters who trapped him at work which then led to a bust up. Walter Ripley believed he was sharing sex messages with a 14-year-old schoolgirl called 'Poppy' on WhatsApp. But he was talking to a "decoy" from a group calling itself Undercover and Expose. The judge criticised the three year delay that it has taken to bring the pervert to justice after he was caught by the group in February 2019. Prosecutor Sophie Shotton said the delay was caused by "staffing problems", Ripley being "released under investigation" and then the pandemic. Now the 33-year-old has been jailed for three years after admitting four charges of trying to groom someone he thought was a child with a view to having sex and sharing images. Maidstone Crown Court heard how the offences came to light because of the "online child abuse activity group" called Undercover and Expose. Judge Philip Statman told Ripley: "This group has individuals who are prepared to go online and act as decoys. One of them called "Poppy" chatted with you on WhatsApp. "She told you from the outset she was aged 14. You were responsible, in graphic terms, of then telling the decoy what it was you would like to do to her - although you made no attempts to meet her. Despite that Ripley, of Orchard View, Teynham, sent her a disgusting image andvideos of himself saying he wanted to have sex with her. Judge Statman continued:"You also sent voicemails of a sexual nature, disguising your identity by referring to yourself as Donald. Members of this group confronted you at your work address. There was some form of disturbance and the police were called. "It is shocking that individuals such as you can go into chatrooms and speak in this way to individuals." "You also sent voicemails of a sexual nature, disguising your identity by referring to yourself as Donald..." The court heard how Ripley - described as an "isolated and lonely individual" - had "a terrible upbringing" with both parents in trouble with the law and his father was jailed. The driver - who was sacked after being confronted by the paedophile hunters - will now remain on the Sex Offender's Register indefinitely and has been made subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for 10 years.

Description

A former teacher has been jailed for sexually abusing a young boy nearly 30 years ago. Chris Pearson, who was a teenager at the time of the offences, denied the crimes but was convicted this week. The Chatham resident was handed a seven-year sentence for abusing the nine-year-old in the 1990s. Croydon Crown Court also heard how Pearson was previously head of music at Cobham Free School in Surrey. But he'd lost his job there after being arrested on a suspicion of email grooming girls although after being questioned no further action was taken on that matter. He then got a job as a train guard with South Western Railway. The married father-of-two was unanimously convicted of three counts of rape and one count of indecency with a child. "He accepts he went too far in assisting two students..." The jury found him not guilty of another count of indecency with a child. Pearson, of Beaconsfield Road, graduated from Birmingham Conservatoire with a degree in music in 2002 and taught the subject at Longfield Academy near Gravesend, and was curriculum leader for performing arts at Bacons College, Rotherhithe. He contested the charges, relating to offences between June 1995 and July 1997. Judge Deborah Charles told Pearson: You raped him repeatedly. In evidence in court he said he thought he had been raped on a dozen occasions. At the time you raped him he didnt realise what you were doing to him was wrong. You had groomed him under the guise of playing games, having to guess what music track was being played. He felt tormented mentally and the forfeit was a wrestling game, where you would put a hold on him, sitting on him and pulling his head back until he as screaming in agony and begging for mercy. There is no evidence or remorse, which the court could take into account. He had no axe to grind against you, there had been no falling out. In his victim impact statement, the complainant said coming forward was to rid himself of the demons which had plagued his life for 25 years. He said he suffered flashbacks and triggers to childhood memories he would rather forget and spoke of years of suffering due to Pearson. Prosecutor Richard Job told the jury Pearson was 15 to 16 years-old. The complainant was not a relative, but would spend time with Pearson, initially for fun wrestling. The defendant would invite him up to his room to play with him, wrestling as WWF was very popular at the time. The defendant would try out his latest wrestling moves on the younger, weaker child, added Mr Job. The victim told the jury he was smaller than Pearson and would be forced to submit during the wrestling sessions and would scream in agony. Pearson also enjoyed demanding the younger boy beg for mercy the court heard. The defendant took advantage of his youth and naivety, not appreciating the enormity of what was happening. In his teens the complainant recognised he had been abused and felt shame and disgust. The jury were told the complainant first revealed what happened in 2017 and the police were then informed. Officers later interviewed Pearson. He made a complete denial, said the prosecutor. Pearson, told the jury he had never been in trouble and was a man of good character. The judge questioned why there were no references from teacher colleagues, considering his professional academic background. Surrey Police investigated an allegation of grooming of schoolgirls via email. They were misguided and overly friendly and not sexual, said Lucy Organ, defending. Mr Pearson was arrested and questioned and there was no further action. There were emails to females, aged 15 to 16, that were not sexual in nature. "At the time you raped him he didnt realise what you were doing to him was wrong. You had groomed him under the guise of playing games" They were inappropriate in their quantity and times, sent late at night and showing some favourability, like helping one pupil to become head girl. He accepts he went too far in assisting two students. He is not a teacher any longer, he lost his job in 2017. It is 25 years since the offending, added Ms Organ. She said he had established himself as a family man and has been able to lead a useful life, despite his offending as a youth. She continued: He was a child when the offences were committed, which is very hard to imagine when you have a man of 42 in front of you. Pearson was ordered to sign the sex offenders' register for life; was barred from working with children and other vulnerable groups and told he must serve two-thirds of the sentence before he is eligible for parole.

Description

George Chinnery, 22, of Anne of Cleves Road, was previously convicted of one count of raping a boy under the age of 13, and one count of inciting a boy under the age of 13 to engage in sexual activity.

The verdict was delivered at St Albans Crown Court on December 8, 2021, where he was also sentenced on Monday, January 31.

Chinnery committed the offences in 2013, when he was 14-year-old, in the Welwyn Hatfield area of Hertfordshire.

He orally raped the victim when they were alone together in the summer holidays, also forcing them to touch him inappropriately.

The victim felt unable to disclose the abuse to anyone until the summer of 2020, when he told a close family member what happened.

Detective Constable Laurence Harwood, from Hertfordshire Constabulary’s Joint Child Protection Investigation Team, said: “The victim in this case has suffered unimaginably due to Chinnery’s abhorrent actions, and it has negatively impacted his mental health for nearly ten years.

“Following support from mental health practitioners, in mid-2020 the victim finally felt able to tell someone he trusted about what Chinnery had done to him.

“However, the defendant denied all the allegations, meaning the victim was subjected to cross-examination by the defence during the seven-day trial.

“This, understandably, caused him and his family an indescribable amount of emotional distress but they showed nothing but honesty, dignity and true emotion throughout.

“My team and I have been humbled by the victim’s courage and we hope this result will enable him to have closure, so he can move forward and rebuild his life.

“Chinnery has never shown any remorse for his perverted crimes.

“We will always do everything we can to convict perpetrators and support victims of child sexual abuse.

“While we are pleased to have achieved this result, it sadly does not lessen the effect of the trauma suffered by the victim in the wake of the abuse he endured.

“I wish him and his family all the very best for the future, and I hope they can find some peace.”

Chinnery will be on the Sex Offenders’ Register indefinitely and has been ordered to not go within five miles of the victim’s home. On his release, he will remain on licence for seven years.

Description

A sex offender has appeared in court days before Christmas - dressed as an elf.

Janiel Verainer was allowed to sit next to a helper in the public gallery rather than in the dock at Maidstone Crown Court.

The 60-year-old was dressed in a red and green seasonal outfit, together with a woollen cardigan with a Santa Claus badge, and a red and green elf-like cap.

As Verainer - who was addressed as she throughout the 15-minute hearing - walked into court, together with a helper, bells jangled from the costume.

Thumb-sucking Verainer, of High Street, Chatham, admitting a breach of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

Judge Philip St-John Stevens heard that between December 18, 2019, and January 31 this year Verainer approached two children.

He was told that the incidents - which involved kissing the girls on the lips - was in breach of an order imposed at Canterbury Crown Court in November 2016 - which meant Verainer had to stay away from children.

Details of the breaches were not outlined in detail before the judge adjourned sentence until February 25 next year for a probation report to be prepared. A psychiatric report has already been done.

Three other charges of failing to comply with the SHPO will remain on file.

At an earlier hearing - appearing in pigtails and sucking a dummy - Verainer had denied the charges.

In November 2016 Verainer was given a ticking off from a judge - after sitting in the dock during a case hugging a large doll.

Judge Adele Williams told defence barrister Paul Hogben: That is totally inappropriate and I make it plain she will not be doing that for the rest of the hearing.

On that occasion Verainer, asking to be called Jorven Seren and claiming to identify as a five-year-old girl, was jailed for 15 months for kissing a girl outside a cafe in Thanet.

Then living in Grotto Hill, Margate, indecent images were also found on Verainer's phone.

At the time psychiatrists concluded the defendant had personality problems but no mental health issues.

Description

Darren Elphick, 50, groomed an underage girl into having sex with him by buying her expensive gifts. A senior church bell ringer who groomed an underage girl into having sex with him by buying her expensive gifts has been jailed for six years. A court heard Darren Elphick ignored warnings from others about his 'disconcerting and weird' behaviour. The 50-year-old would abuse her at his home near Maidstone, as well as in his car and secluded, wooded areas. He told his victim to keep it a secret but eventually ended it, telling her he 'didn't want it becoming public'. But the abuse was eventually reported to police and Elphick was arrested in December 2018. He later pleaded guilty to four charges of sexual activity with a child, three of taking indecent photos of a child, one of possessing an indecent image, and one of possessing extreme pornographic images. When arrested, he was the secretary and 'tower captain' at St Peter and St Paul Church in the village of Aylesford, but was immediately suspended by Rochester Diocese. None of the offences were committed on church property, however. Jailing Elphick on Tuesday (November 23) Judge Robert Lazarus told him he had caused long-standing psychological harm and left his victim blaming herself. "It ought not be necessary to say this but any adult who encounters a child has a duty to protect them from harm and you didn't. In fact, you went out of your way to harm her," the judge told Elphick. "It may be more palatable for you to see this in some way as a consensual relationship but the harm suffered by her has a very long reach indeed. "Horrifically, at times she has believed that this was all her fault."

'She feels sad for her younger self'

Prosecutor Kathryn Hirst told Maidstone Crown Court that having befriended the girl, Elphick started buying her presents. But he ignored the concerns of others and what then progressed to kissing and touching eventually led to sexual intercourse while she was still underage, added Ms Hirst. "The Crown submit there was 'evidence of grooming prior to the commencement of the sexual relationship," she said. "He was warned that she was under 16 and he shouldn't do anything inappropriate with her. He would acknowledge this and agree." Referring to the victim's impact statement made once Elphick had been reported to police, Ms Hirst told the court: "As she has matured, she realises what happened was abuse. "She feels sad for her younger self....and feels part of her childhood has been taken away." When arrested, police discovered the indecent images, which included one of the girl taken without her knowledge while they were having sex, and others of unidentified children aged 12 to 14. Elphick also had four extreme pornographic movies depicting a woman having sex with an animal which had been sent to him via WhatsApp.

'He was flattered by her attention'

Irshad Sheikh, defending, said Elphick, who has no previous convictions, was 'flattered' by the girl's attention but should have put an immediate stop to it. "He accepts it should never have begun and should never have continued in the way it did," he told the court. "She was a child, he was much older. He should never have let it progress the way it did. He is genuinely remorseful." On his release from prison, Elphick, from Aylesford, will be subject indefinitely to signing on the sex offender register and to a sexual harm prevention order. He will also be barred from working with children and vulnerable adults. Detective Constable Hannah Crittenden, of the Paedophile Online Investigation Team, said: "Elphick gained the trust of a child and exploited this trust in the worst possible way, by subjecting her to repeated abuse. "The victim was warned to keep the abuse secret and not to tell anyone, but thankfully in recent years has found the courage to come forward and help us ensure Elphick has now been brought to justice. "I would urge anyone who has been a victim of any sexual offence to remember that it is never too late to report this to police. "We have a team of specialist officers who work relentlessly to ensure that offenders like Elphick do not evade justice, just because a crime may have happened a long time ago. "We will always treat any information with the utmost confidence and sensitivity."

Description

A pervert who sent explicit images of himself to a child has been locked up.

Christopher Brimstead, 31, from East Malling took the images and then sent them to the youngster, between November 2018 and January 2019

Brimstead, previously from Jasmine Close, used a computer to take the photos and sent explicit messages to her, asking her to engage in sexual activity.

The child reported the offences in April 2019 and officers arrested Brimstead.

He was later charged with engaging in sexual communication with a child, which he admitted at Maidstone Crown Court last week where he was jailed for 12 months.

Upon Brimstead’s release from prison he will be the subject of a restraining order and a sexual harm prevention order for 10 years.

The order places restrictions on his access to the internet and prohibits contact with girls under the age of 16.

He will also be placed on the sex offenders’ register indefinitely.

DC Victoria Baker said: "Brimstead abused trust shown to him in the worst possible way, trying to exploit a child for his own gratification.

I’m pleased he has been sentenced and I hope that this sentencing goes some way to helping the victim to find some closure and move forward with her life.

"Kent Police will always take sexual offences seriously and will investigate thoroughly to ensure that any people who commit criminal offences pay for their actions and that victims get the justice that they deserve."

Description

Disgraced former Tory MP Charlie Elphicke is facing fresh court proceedings after allegedly failing to pay 35,000 in prosecution costs following his sentence for sexually assaulting two women. The former Dover MP, 50, was jailed for two years in September 2020 after being found guilty of three counts of sexual assault following a month-long trial. He was released from prison in September after serving half of his sentence, but is now facing further proceedings at Uxbridge Magistrates Court on Friday for the alleged non-payment of a 35,000 fine imposed on September 15 2020. The sentencing judge, Mrs Justice Whipple, ordered Elphicke to pay 35,000 within a year towards the costs of the prosecution, which would otherwise fall on the public purse. You have substantial equity in your family home, which is currently up for sale, she told him. Debt However, Elphickes barrister, Ian Winter QC, told the court his client had a fair bit of debt, and that his estranged wife, Natalie Elphicke, now the MP for Dover, loaned him 100,000 to pay legal bills. Her Majestys Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) is pursuing the payment of the fine and has enforcement powers, which can include a summons to attend a hearing to explain why it has not been paid or set out when it will be. Refusal to pay could result in a criminal charge being brought. Elphicke is expected to attend Fridays hearing, according to a court official, and if he does not, a warrant could be issued for his arrest. In March, he lost a Court of Appeal challenge against his jail term after his lawyers argued the sentence was too long and should have been suspended. The sentencing judge described Elphicke as a sexual predator who used his success and respectability as a cover and told a pack of lies. During his trial, jurors heard how he had asked one of his victims about bondage and sex, then kissed her and groped her breast before chasing her around his home, chanting: Im a naughty Tory. In the wake of the case, the Commons Standards Committee found that five Conservatives, including his wife, Natalie, had breached the code of conduct over an egregious attempt to influence his legal proceedings. As a result Mrs Elphicke, Sir Roger Gale and Theresa Villiers were suspended from the House of Commons for a day. They, along with Bob Stewart and Adam Holloway, had written to senior members of the judiciary raising concerns that a more junior judge was considering publishing character references provided for Mr Elphicke. Elphicke became a Government whip during David Camerons premiership in 2015, but returned to the backbenches when Theresa May came to power the following year. He had the party whip suspended in 2017 when allegations of sexual assault first emerged, but it was controversially reinstated a year later for a crucial confidence vote in then-prime minister Mrs May. The whip was withdrawn again the following summer when the Crown Prosecution Service announced its decision to charge Elphicke.

Description

A Sheppey paedophile who was found in possession of more than 1,000 indecent images of children has been jailed for three years.

Michael Frost, 57, of Minster-on-Sea, denied three counts of making an indecent photograph of a child but was found guilty following a trial at Maidstone Crown Court.

He was sentenced to three years' imprisonment on November 5 after Kent Police branded him a "danger to the public".

Frost was already the subject of a Sexual Offences Prevention Order when he committed the offences, which meant his behaviour was being closely monitored by Kent Polices Violent and Sex Offender Register (ViSOR) Team.

As part of the regular checks, the officers became suspicious that Frost was accessing indecent materials online and detained him at his home address.

Devices belonging to him were then found to contain 1,048 indecent images of children.

Detective Sergeant Vicky Whitmill, from Kent Police, said: "Our ViSOR officers are based across the county and diligently monitor individuals who present a danger to the public.

"A particular focus is preventing offences taking place, supporting victims, and ensuring robust action is taken against those who seek to offend.

"When we learned of Frosts illegal activity, we took immediate action to detain him before a thorough review of evidence led to charges being authorised.

"The investigating officer demonstrated tenacity and commitment to build this case and her outstanding work has led to a prison sentence being imposed against a man who has shown a remorseless and determined nature to access images of child abuse.

"I additionally hope this case serves as a reminder that we will always use the full remit of our powers to keep people safe and take action against those responsible for causing harm."

Description

A paedophile who had indecent images of children has been jailed for a second time for failing to sign on the sex offenders register and hiding two phones from police.

Robert Kavanagh, of Birling Road Snodland, was jailed in 2018 for a year after possessing the illegal images.

On his release he was under a Sexual Harm Prevention Order which restricted the 46-year-old from using devices which could access the internet.

But in October 2019 officers entered his home and found he had attempted to conceal two mobile phones, both of which were able to access the internet and store images.

Checks showed Kavanagh had used one of the phones on the day he was released. Neither of the devices were disclosed to police.

He was also required to sign on the sex offenders registers on an annual basis, but failed to do so in 2019 and 2021.

'He appears to have no understanding of the gravity of his actions...'

Additionally, the Snodland man moved to a different address and failed to notify police.

Kavanagh was charged with breaching the sexual harm prevention order and with four counts of failing to comply with a sex offender's notification requirement.

He pleaded guilty at Maidstone Crown Court on Wednesday, October 13, and was sentenced to 10 months' imprisonment.

Natalie Armstrong, of Kent Police's west Kent offender management team, said: "Kavanagh has been given every opportunity to engage in rehabilitation and was subject to strict measures designed to reduce the risk of him reoffending.

"He has been unable to adhere to these restrictions and has demonstrated a clear determination to access the internet, including online chatrooms.

"He appears to have no understanding of the gravity of his actions and has repeatedly sought to obstruct police during our efforts to carry out checks and monitor his behaviour.

"Orders such as these are passed by the courts to help protect children from harm and as this case shows, Kent Police will do everything we can to ensure those who ignore them face the consequences of their actions."