Latest Offenders

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Christopher Smith, 75, of Glasgow Road, Southsea, was locked up at Portsmouth Crown Court after being found guilty following a trial. 

The sick pervert was convicted of three counts of raping a male aged 16 or over, seven charges of sexual assault of a male aged 16 or above, and two counts of causing a boy to engage in sexual activity. He carried out the horrific crimes between August 2021 and April 2022.

The sex offender has to register with police indefinitely upon his release.

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A north London hotel worker raped a hotel guest and sexually assaulted other women by touching their feet as they slept.

Ahmed Fahmy, 45, abused his position as a member of staff at the Anchor Hotel on Golders Green’s West Heath Drive to carry out his sick offences, targeting two members of the same group in January this year.

On Thursday, Fahmy was convicted of one count of rape and three sexual assaults, one of which had taken place while he was working at the Sunborn Yacht Hotel in Newham in March 2022.

Police on Friday warned that there could be more victims, and urged them to come forward if so.

Hendon Magistrates Court heard how a group of four women were staying at the Anchor Hotel when they became separated on a night out with three of them returning.

When they got there, they realised they did not have the room key, and Fahmy demanded one of the women withdraw £80 from a cash machine so that she could stay in another room.

She got into bed fully dressed apart from her shoes and awoke to find Fahmy licking her foot.

She told him no and to go away, but she was then woken a second time to find him doing a similar thing. The woman kicked him and again told him to go away.

Later that morning, the fourth member of the group arrived back at the hotel and told Fahmy she had lost her key. He manoeuvred her into his bedroom where he raped her.

The offending came to light when the women moved to a different hotel immediately after. One of the women again was separated from her friends in Regent’s Park and became distressed.

A park staff member called the police but she could not tell them where her new hotel was, with officers suggesting they go back to the Anchor Hotel where they hoped to find contact details for her friends.

She then started crying and told the officers that she could not return to the hotel as the manager had raped her.

During the course of the investigation, detectives linked Fahmy to two other non-recent sexual assaults, which largely centred on him touching women’s feet, including a sex attack on a woman while on a date in 2008 in Wembley’s Alliance Close.

Met Detective Constable James Gomm, who led the investigation, said: “Fahmy displayed a clear pattern of offending where he abused his position as a hotel worker to get close to his victims and carry out his crimes.”

DC Gomm praised those who had shared what happened with police, saying: “Your bravery has helped put a sexual offender behind bars and protect other women.

“There may be other victims of Fahmy and, if so, I would urge them to get in contact with police immediately – you will be listened to and provided with support.”

Fahmy will be sentenced at the same court on September 20.

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A newly released sex offender has been sent back to jail after he tried to hire a sex worker while he was staying in a hostel in Cornwall.

Christopher Wheeler had only been free for four days and was under strict licence conditions when police examined a phone he had just bought.

They found he had changed its settings to delete its internet history, which he was banned from doing by a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) which had been imposed when he was sent to jail the previous year.

Police suspected he had already started using his new phone to search for child abuse images because a download of his last device had unearthed 524 photos or videos and he has previous convictions for accessing such material.

The two police officers and the hostel manager were in the middle of examining his new phone when a text appeared from a prostitute asking why Wheeler had failed to make a rendez-vous in Camborne an hour earlier.

He was arrested, not for trying to arrange sex with the woman, but for breaking the SHPO by deleting the phone’s internet history, which was forbidden explicitly by the order.

It is the second time Wheeler has been jailed for breaking the order, having been sentenced to 20 months last August for trying to destroy evidence of him contacting children in chat rooms.

Wheeler, aged 31, of East Hill, Tuckingmill, Camborne, admitted two breaches of the SHPO and three counts of making, by downloading, indecent images or movies of children.

He was jailed for a year and four months by Judge David Evans at Exeter Crown Court. He told him: “The police found the internet search history function turned off, disabling the retention of your online activity.

“You clearly had been engaging in activity online in the days since obtaining the phone but the full extent of that cannot be ascertained. That is why the order is there. I see from the pre-sentence report that you continue to deny a sexual interest in children.”

Mr Ed Bailey, prosecuting, said Wheeler was released from his previous sentence on May 10 this year and visited by his police offender manager at the Meneghy House hostel on May 14 after he told him he had bought a new phone.

A text message arrived before Wheeler handed over the phone and he managed to delete it before the officers could see it, falsely claiming it was from his father. A second text arrived as police were examining the phone which was from a prostitute and asking what was going on.

He had also used the phone to set up a new g-mail account without telling the police, something else which was banned by the SHPO.

The images offences arose from a full download of the Samsung phone seized from Wheeler when he was arrested in July 2023 for the SHPO breach which led to him being jailed the next month.

There were a total of 524 items of which 141 stills and 101 movies were in the most serious category, effectively showing children as young as two being raped.

Mr Nick Lewin, defending, said Wheeler is not tech savvy and does not know how the internet memory function was turned off. He said he should have been dealt with for the images offences when he was sentenced last year.

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An aspiring social media influencer has been jailed after admitting to a series of sex offences against two teenage girls.

Reaquain Palmer came to police attention at the end of July last year when one of his victims confided in staff at her school about a sexual relationship.

The schoolgirl had known of Palmer from his viral Tik Tok account and was later introduced to him in person.

Palmer, then aged 23, invited her back to his flat and had sex with her on three different occasions.

When he was arrested a short time later, he denied ever having sexual contact with her but also made it clear he believed her to be at least 16 years old.

He also denied calling another schoolgirl and attempting to engage her in a sexual act over the phone.

Incriminating mobile phone messages, however, revealed he was well aware of the first girl’s true age but had still maintained his pursuit of her.

As the investigation continued Palmer then made a clear threat to one of his victims in a misguided bid to undermine the case against him.

He later pleaded guilty to three counts of engaging in sexual activity with a girl aged 13 to 15. He also admitted to engaging in sexual communications with a child and intimidating a witness.

Appearing at Nottingham Crown Court on Friday 25 July, Palmer, now aged 24, of Carlton Road, Nottingham, was jailed for three years and eight months.

He was also made the subject of a sexual harm prevention order which will tightly control his online activities and access to children in the future.

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A successful businessman caught with more than 1,700 child abuse images today avoided jail after a judge heard he needs to care for his cancer-stricken wife.

Steven Bowden claimed he viewed the explicit photos while he was under a lot of 'distress' at the time due to his spouse Heather's diagnosis with an aggressive form of breast cancer.

While being investigated by police and in a moment of 'pure panic' the businessman - who owns a bespoke joinery company - destroyed a computer hard drive and dumped it in a river, a court was told.

But the 60 year old avoided jail after a judge highlighted how his wife - who has 'stood by him' - 'needs' him due to her health condition.

Prosecutor Rod Blain told Southampton Crown Court that Bowden's £900,000 home in Hythe in the New Forest was searched by police in July 2022.

But after officers visited his office in Salisbury, he removed a hard drive, smashed it and threw it in a nearby river.

James Bull, mitigating, described the destruction of the hard drive as an 'impulsive' moment.

He added: "It was a state of pure panic - it was not done as calculated as one might expect."

Bowden claimed to have gained access to the child porn after he was sorting the 'estate' of a deceased family member.

Mr Bull said: "The desktop tower that was in his possession - he received from a family member.

"He received the computer and also the content on the computer.

"He accepts at the time he should have informed the police about the content.

"Instead, he viewed the content and did not take that course of action."

Bowden was found with 1,734 indecent images of children - 145 of which were Category A, the most serious kind.

Mr Bull told the court he is a 'successful businessman' who co-owns a 'bespoke joinery company' with his son but that in 2022 his wife had received her diagnosis.

"Mr Bowden was experiencing a significant amount of emotional and psychological distress at the time," he said.

He added: "[This is] something that he did once and he accepts that it's the biggest mistake he has ever made."

Bowden pleaded guilty to three charges of making an indecent photograph or pseudo-photograph of a child and one charge of perverting the court of justice.

Judge Christopher Parker said 'the destruction of the hard drive is a very serious matter' but highlighted the case's mitigating features - in particular in 'regard' to his wife'.

He said: "She has stood by you - notwithstanding the nature of your offending - but she needs you because of her health condition."

The judge handed Bowden an 18-month prison sentence, suspended for two years.

He will also have to complete 200 hours of unpaid work, pay £1,000 in prosecution costs, and complete rehabilitation activity requirements.

Bowden was also issued with a sexual harm prevention order to last for the next 10 years.

Description

A "sneaky" sexual "predator" set up a hidden camera to film women inside a toilet cubicle.

The "obnoxious" and "distasteful" filming was discovered when a woman discovered to her horror and shock that there was a camera hidden inside a bin. Thomas Day, 25, of Grafton Street, Hull, admitted voyeurism involving three women and other offences of making indecent images of children.

"It caused her to panic," said Miss Stuart-Lofthouse. Police were alerted and CCTV showed that it was Day who had put the camera there.

Day was arrested. Two other women who had been filmed were also identified. There were also images of "upskirting" of one of them. During police interview, he made no comment to questions.

The woman who discovered the camera later said that she regarded Day as a "predator" because of what he had done and what he could potentially do to others. "What he did to me really hurt and has changed the way I view things and people," she said.

"My sleep has been affected and I wake up. I dream of cameras being on my walls. I should not have been made to experience this. Anyone should feel safe using the toilet and should not have to look out for cameras."

Another of the women said that she felt "violated" by what happened and it had left her "anxious and paranoid" about possible cameras in public buildings. She felt "uncomfortable" and "very angry" about what Day had done and it had affected her day-to-day behaviour.

"I am now constantly looking out for cameras, regardless of where I am," she said. She felt as if she was being watched in toilets "despite this being unlikely".

The third woman said that the filming made her feel "so angry and anxious" and it made her "shake from the inside" because she felt that her private space had been invaded. She was shocked and found the behaviour disgusting and hurtful," said Miss Stuart-Lofthouse.

Day's electronic devices were searched and 935 images of children in the most serious Category A were found, as well as 987 in Category B and 12,789 in Category C. There were 471 prohibited images of children and three extreme pornography images. The images had been downloaded over a number of years.

Nigel Clive, mitigating, said of the voyeurism: "This is reprehensible, sneaky behaviour. This offending is indicative of a man with extremely damaged thought processes. The defendant would wish to apologise to the victims of his offending."

Day had "poor emotional regulation" of his sexual needs and he had been very open about his motivation for his "terrible" behaviour. "He knows what he has done and it's worthy of prison," said Mr Clive.

It was a "sexually predatory course of conduct" and Day's sexual preoccupation showed "distorted thinking" over the "distasteful" offences. "There has been no offending since," added Mr Clive. Day had no previous convictions.

Recorder Paul Reid told Day: "You have led a solitary existence, which you have misspent over a number of years." Of the women who were secretly filmed, the recorder said: "What they are left with is a feeling of complete insecurity because nobody expects this sort of thing to happen to them in a private place and, rightly, they don't expect this because they are entitled to assume that a private place like this is private and they are not going to be looked at like this by anyone.

"They have been very badly affected by this. You didn't at any stage attempt to minimise what you did." Day had later "given thought" to his "obnoxious activity" and had sought help. The images of children that were found were "appalling".

Day was given a 22-month suspended prison sentence, 100 hours' unpaid work, a 90-day sex offenders' treatment programme and 20 days' rehabilitation. He was ordered to pay 750 compensation 250 to each woman and he was given a 10-year sexual harm prevention order. He will have to register as a sex offender for 10 years.

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A depraved man who left people “traumatised” by handing out graphic images of children on trains has avoided prison.

Perverted Steve Blackthorne, 38, of Winchester, has been sentenced to two years in prison, suspended for two years, after pleading guilty to making and distributing indecent photographs/ pseudo-photographs of a child. Blackthorne will be put behind bars if he offends again in the two year timeframe.

He has been placed on the Sex Offenders Register for 10 years, and issued a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for 10 years. Investigating officer, Detective Constable Phil James, said: “Such was the level of Blackthorne’s depravity that the images he had collated left those who inadvertently happened upon them deeply traumatised.”

Winchester Crown Court heard a train guard was handed six pages of A4 sheets by a passenger left by a men who got off the train at Basingstoke on January 23, 2022. The pages contained horrific indecent graphic images of children - 16 Category A pictures (the most severe), five Category B and 16 Category C.

Court heard the train guard was left in tears, who reported it to British Transport Police officers at Southampton Central railway station. On January 31 of that year, a cleaner found another batch of images when he pulled down a folding table. They were left horrified and upset, reporting it to his manager.

Those pages contained 16 Category A, five Category B and 16 Category C indecent images of children. CCTV footage found Blackthorne left the printouts on the train. Officers arrested him on March 14 at Basingstoke railway station.

His mobile phone contained 60 Category A, 27 Category B and 81 Category C images, with further pictures being discovered on the laptop he was carrying. Another portable computer was found at his address, containing even more sickening images.

Blackthorne admitted during a police interview that he printed out the images out at work from a work device. DC James added: “No one in their right mind would ever willingly choose to see these sickening images. Blackthorne showed no shame in his perversion even transferring the images to a work computer so he could print them out at work to look at at his leisure.”

Description

A Bedford man has been sentenced to 13 years in prison after he was found guilty of sexually abusing two children two decades apart.

Brian Watts, 79, was in his 40s when he sexually abused a young boy in the early 1990s, after inviting him over to his home to play on his games console.

The victim kept the abuse to himself for a long time but decided to report it to police in 2020 after realising how much it was affecting his mental health.

Another victim had disclosed that Watts had been sexually abusing her since she was six or seven. She was a teenager when she disclosed this to a trusted adult in 2019, who then reported it to the police.

An investigation was launched by Bedfordshire Police’s Protecting Vulnerable People team and Watts was arrested and interviewed but denied sexually abusing either child.

After an 11-day trial at Luton Crown Court, Watts of Kimble Drive, Bedford, was jailed on Friday (19 July) for 13 years after being found guilty of the following:

• Four counts of indecent assault of a male
• Four counts of indecency with a child
• Three counts of sexual assault of a child
• He will also be the subject of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order on his release

In an impact statement, each victim described how the abuse has had a huge impact on their lives.

“I’ve carried this secret, the shame, sadness and anger with myself for too long and I don’t know the person I could have been if this hadn’t happened.”

“It’s hard to explain but I still struggle with physical touch from anyone. I am just not comfortable in my own skin, and this is because of him and what he did to me.”

Description

A musician who raped a 13-year-old girl on her birthday has been jailed. Everton Grossett has been convicted after several indecent assaults were found proven by the jury at Inner London Crown Court.

The 38-year-old of Mayall Road, Brixton, was convicted of rape, one count of indecent assault, and another count of indecent assault in relation to five separate incidents after a trial this July. Court documents show the sick predator originally faced 13 child sex offence charges in relation to the same victim during his first appearance at Croydon Magistrates' Court in June last year.

Public records show Grossett is registered as a director on three music companies, with his occupation given as a producer and sound engineer. One of those companies, D3G3OFFICIALS, shares the same name as TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram accounts where Grossett appears in short music clips, and is listed as 'Management' on a UK drill video featuring three rappers.

The trial heard how Grossett fed his sexual desires by sexually assaulting the young victim, telling her to 'be quiet' during the abuse then bribing her with money for sweets. After the rape, the victim bled and struggled to explain it to her mum, but it wasn't until she confided in her sister, that his sickening crimes came to light.

In her impact statement, the victim recalled being 'happy and confident' before the abuse started on an 'unforgivable, life-changing night at the hands of Everton Grossett'. The survivor said: "This has been a very long journey, to finding the strength and courage to report it. It took me a long time to tell anyone. I carried it with me, and only me."

She also thanked her sister for 'giving her the strength' to speak out. "Sometimes I dream about the past events and wake up angry, and then spend the whole day trying to hide it from others," she continued, adding: "I hope you [Grossett] are never able to hurt anyone else."

Defence counsel Ms Farrelly conceded there had been 'a course of conduct' and an element of violence, due to the bleeding, but argued the offences should be taken in the context of Grossett's 'difficult' home life. The barrister also cited Grossett's 'good character' since the horrific abuse.

The court also heard Grossett has his own children, aged 12 and 17, but had not been allowed to see them since his conviction. The mother of those children submitted a positive character reference, describing him as 'an exceptional father'. Arguing that Grossett was 'rather exceptional', Ms Farrelly called on the judge to give him 'quite substantial' mitigation.

Jailing him for six years and eight months, Judge David Richards told the predator: "It's clear to me, you could not control your appetite or compulsion to abuse [the victim]."

Grossett will serve half of a two-year sentence for one multiple incident count of indecent assault, then two-thirds of a consecutive four-year eight-month sentence for rape. He will serve a concurrent 12-month sentence for another count of indecent assault.

Description

A warped paedophile has been locked up for 16 years for the horrific sexual abuse of a young girl.

Scruffy Stephen Cooper, 61, of The Drove, Blackfield, inflicted misery on a girl aged four to six during a two-year period of torment in Basingstoke from March 2021 to March 2023.

Sick Cooper was convicted of four counts of engaging in non-penetrative sexual activity with a girl under 13, sexual assault of a girl under 13 by penetration, engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child under 13, and causing or inciting a girl under 13 to engage in sexual activity.

Cooper denied the offences but the predator was found guilty following a trial at Winchester Crown Court before being jailed for 16 years at Salisbury Crown Court.

Description

A 'manipulative' man blackmailed two young women into having sex with him.

Joshua Bromage preyed on his victims, one as young as 17, on Instagram, threatening to expose intimate images of the women unless they sent him more images.

Bromage has been jailed for 14 years and will be a registered sex offender for the rest of his life after being sentenced at Winchester Crown Court on Thursday.

Judge Peter Henry said the 30-year-old had cynically manipulated his victims into complying with his demands.

Bromage, of Holybourne Road in Havant, previously pleaded guilty to four counts of rape.

The court heard how in April 2021, a 17-year-old girl in Southampton reported that she had been forced to have sex with Bromage and that she had been blackmailed over Instagram by an unknown person to send indecent images and videos.

This person was later identified as Bromage.

Bromage was arrested and an examination of his phone found category C indecent images of children, as well as images of the victim.

It also revealed a series of text conversations in which Bromage demanded explicit images of the victim, threatening to release intimate photos of her online if she didn’t comply.

In November 2023, while the initial police investigation was ongoing, a 22-year-old woman, from Southampton, came forward to police.

The 22-year-old reported that she had also been raped by Bromage and blackmailed by an unknown person, again later identified to be Bromage, via Instagram.

The woman told officers how she had been blackmailed into sending indecent images and videos of herself, with the perpetrator again threatening to release other indecent images of her if she did not meet his demands.

Bromage further manipulated the victim by telling her that he was receiving similar threats, and that the blackmailer was requesting images and videos of the two engaging in sexual acts.

Following a thorough and complex investigation, Bromage was charged with four counts of rape, which he pleaded guilty to.

Detective Constable Andrew Ferguson, who led the investigation, said: “Bromage’s actions were incredibly manipulative, calculated and controlling and the impact he has had on his two young victims is immeasurable.

“I hope that this sentence reassures other victims that they will be listened to when reporting incidents of this nature to the police.”

Description

A sex offender who attempted to groom three teenage boys has been jailed for three years.

John Paul Card, 76, admitted breaching a previous sexual harm prevention order on three separate occasions and approaching the boys to start “unsettling” conversations.

Ipswich Crown Court heard that Card was convicted of offences of sexual touching and sexual activity with a child in 2011 and had subsequently been made the subject of a sexual harm prevention order restricting his contact with boys under 18.

In February this year, Card approached a 16-year-old boy at the Old Cattle Market bus station in Ipswich and asked if he would mow his lawn.

John Card has been sentenced to three years in jail (Image: Suffolk Police)

He took down the phone number of the 16-year-old who agreed and Card later messaged him to say he would visit the boy at the pub he worked at, which unnerved the boy because he had never told him he worked at a pub.

Card messaged the boy on several occasions asking him to mow the lawn but after the boy Googled the sex offender’s name he contacted the police.

In 2023, Card pursued a 15-year-old boy who had spread leaflets about his fundraising plans for a school trip to Ecuador.

The leaflet only asked for a £1 donation to a GoFundMe page, but Card turned up at the boy’s address with £40 in cash.

The boy personally thanked him and Card later posted him a letter offering more money and said he would like to help him fundraise for other projects.

A victim impact statement from the boy’s mother was read out in court: “My son was subject to persistent pestering by Mr Card in what should have been a positive and rewarding endeavour.

“The harassment has taken a toll on his emotional wellbeing and the incident left him feeling unsettled and wary of future interactions with strangers.”

On top of this breach, which he was arrested and bailed for, he approached a 17-year-old boy at a bus stop in 2022 and sat “uncomfortably close” and left the boy concerned.

This boy also Googled the defendant's name then reported him and Card was arrested and bailed for this offence.

Judge Richard Kelly said during these conversations Card used subtle but calculated probes into boundaries and sexual preferences, which left the boys “shaken”.

He sentenced Card, of Jervis Close, Holbrook, to three years in prison.

Card was also given a suspended sentenced in 2020 for similar offences and this was partially activated concurrent to the three years.

Description

A man from Brownhills has been jailed for 15 years for inciting boys on the internet to engage in sexual activity and for distributing vile and depraved indecent images of children.

David Brown, 59, had already pleaded guilty to three charges of making indecent images of children and one charge of distributing an indecent image of a child.

He had pleaded not guilty to four charges of attempting to cause or incite a boy aged 13 to 15 to engage in sexual activity and two charges of arranging or facilitating the commission of a child sex offence. However, he was found guilty following a trial at Wolverhampton Crown Court in March and was jailed on Monday (15 July) at Birmingham Crown Court.

As well as being given a 15-year prison sentence, Brown was placed on the sex offender register for life and will also be the subject of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order For Life.

We received intelligence to suggest Brown was using the internet at his home to share indecent images of children and on 17 October, 2018 officers from our Online Child Sexual Exploitation Team attended Brown’s home and seized his digital devices.

Brown’s computers were forensically examined and found to contain 175 indecent images of children as well as internet search terms relating to the sexual abuse of children.

A vast quantity of online conversations were also retrieved with a considerable amount concentrating on the horrifying and systematic sexual abuse of children both in the UK and abroad. In one, he had instructed a man in Africa to carry out abuse in exchange for payment.

Description

A child rapist made his victim watch indecent videos at a young age before embarking on a years-long campaign of abuse. Andrew Bate has been locked up for 21 years and must serve an extra five years on licence.

Bate, of Libson Close, Warrington, was found guilty of 16 sexual offences against the child - including rape; sexual assault; engaging in sexual activity with a child; and sexual touching.

During a trial at Liverpool Crown Court, the victim told how the offences developed over a number of years, initially beginning when they were forced to watch indecent videos.

Following an initial incident, the abuse escalated. Bate raped and sexually assault the child on multiple occasions. The victim said they pretended to sleep to stop him. No matter what they did, he continued.

Bate's offending came to light in January 2023 when the victim reported him. He denied every allegation. Detective Constable Maurizio Lucchesi, who led the investigation, said: "Firstly, I want to praise the victim for the courage that they have shown throughout this investigation.

"Bate is clearly a sexual predator, whose only interest is to fulfil his own sexual gratification. He showed no regard for the victim and even when faced with all the evidence against him, he refused to plead guilty to any of the charges against. Instead, he forced his victim to relive their experiences in court, which could not have been easy for them.

"Thankfully, as a result of the bravery of the victim, and the evidence we gathered, the jury have seen through his lies, and he is now being held accountable for his actions. I hope that the sentence handed to Bate will provide the victim with some closure and allow them to move forward with their lives, knowing that he will never be able do the same to any other children.”

Bate was ordered to sign the sex offender register and comply with a sexual harm prevention order for life. DC Lucchesi added: "Nobody should have to experience what the victim has been though and if anything can come from this case, I hope that it encourages other victims of sexual offences to come forward and report them to us."

Description

A Worthing sex offender has been jailed after attempting to conceal indecent images of children, police have said.

Lewis Peters, 31, was arrested at his home address in Worthing on June 3, following an intelligence-led operation by Sussex Police’s Online Child Abuse Team (OCAT).

“A Worthing sex offender has been jailed for possession of indecent images of children,” a police statement read.

"Peters attempted to conceal a small memory card which featured 250 category A indecent images and videos of children.

“His phone was examined, which was found to contain 32 Category A, 74 Category B and 12 Category C images.”

Police said Peters was already subject to a ten-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO), which he was handed in April 2023. Being in possession of these images put him in breach of this order, police said.

A spokesperson added: “The 31-year-old pleaded guilty to three counts of making an indecent photo of a child, four counts of breaching a SHPO and possession of extreme pornographic images, when he appeared before Hove Crown Court on July 5.

“He was sentenced to four years’ imprisonment at Hove Crown Court on July 16.”

Investigator Maisie Upjohn, of Worthing OCAT, said possessing and downloading indecent images of children is an ‘extremely serious offence’ – reflected in the ‘significant custodial sentence given to him at court’.

She added: “Lewis Peters appears to be determined to continue offending despite the SHPO given to him after conviction for other offences in April 2023.

"Somewhere in the world there is a poor victim from each of the images and videos that Peters had.

"This case shows that we will relentlessly pursue offenders to stop them from causing further harm to children."