Search results for Kent

Description

A sex offender from Gravesend who targeted a child has been jailed for more than five years.

Terry Knott, 32, was jailed at Woolwich Crown Court on Tuesday 5 March 2024 after he admitted three charges of sexual activity with a child.

Knott was arrested in December 2023, after Kent Police received an allegation he had committed the offences over the preceding two months.

As well as being jailed for five years and three months, Knott was placed on the Sex Offenders’ Register and will be subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order indefinitely.

Description

A sex offender from Sidcup has been jailed after targeting a child for two years.

Danny Mackney subjected his young victim to countless instances of sexual abuse between 2018 and 2020.

Mackney, of Harman Drive, groomed his victim before bombarding them with sexually explicit messages and images, demanding they then send some in return.

He was arrested in November 2020 and pleaded not guilty at Woolwich Crown Court to two counts of sexual activity with a child and two counts of making indecent images of a child.

Mackney was convicted following a trial and sentenced on Friday, January 26, 2024, to four years and six months’ imprisonment.

The 37-year-old will also be subject to a 10-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

Description

A man from Kent has been sentenced to 13 years in prison after he pleaded guilty to directing the sexual abuse of young children around the world.

Matthew Bower, aged 52, from Swanley, was identified by National Crime Agency officers after information was received by the FBI that a man from the UK had been paying for images of a young girl being sexually abused.

The victim, a 15 year old girl, spoke to police officers in the US in early August 2017 and told them she had been sexually abused by a female family member for a number of months. She stated that the abuse was photographed and the images were being sent to a man in the UK for various sums of money.

Officers from the FBI arrested the woman and she provided them with an email address, username and Paypal details of the man she had taken the photographs for.

This information was sent to officers at the NCA who were able to identify Bower.

He was arrested on the 22 August 2017 on suspicion of possessing indecent images of children and arranging & facilitating the commission of a child sex offence. Officers searched his house and a number of devices were seized.

Upon examination of the devices, chat logs were recovered which showed Bower using the username evo5_mat - telling the woman what he wanted her to do to the victim. In some of the chat, he says OK KINDA LIKE TO SEE BOTH OF U PICS, SO MAYBE WAIT UNTIL TOMORROW IS SHE FREE and then SENT U 80 SO EXPECT A LOT.

NCA investigators identified that she had sent Bower 308 images of herself with the victim, as well as two live-streamed videos between 2016 and 2017. Financial records showed that over a six year period, Bower had sent her approximately 6,000, the majority in return for the abuse material.

NCA officers also found additional chat logs and online conversations where Bower was actively encouraging others to sexually abuse young children.

They also identified a woman in Romania who had been abusing a child under the age of two, as directed by Bower. Information was shared with international law enforcement partners and the woman was arrested in August 2018. She was convicted in December 2019 of rape and child abuse offences and is currently serving more than eight years in prison.

Bower had also been contacting a number of children online via Skype, encouraging them to send him naked photos and perform sexual acts on camera. Two girls, aged 8 and 15, from the United States were identified as having been coerced by Bower into sending indecent images. Both have since been safeguarded by the US authorities.

He initially told officers he had been the victim of hacking, but in October 2023, pleaded guilty to 15 offences including causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity and making over 1,700 indecent images of children, including category A images.

Jen Cruickshank, Senior Investigating Officer at the NCA, said:

Bower is clearly a dangerous individual who has a depraved sexual interest in children. For a significant period of time he actively sought people online both adults and children whom he could coerce into sending him abuse material for his sexual gratification.

Id like to pay tribute to the victims who bravely spoke about the abuse they had suffered. The initial victim report was the catalyst for this investigation and ultimately led to us being able to identify Bower and ensure further victims were safeguarded.

The NCA is dedicated to protecting children and disrupting the highest harm offenders wherever they are in the world. Collaboration with our international colleagues is imperative in achieving this.

Sentencing him at Croydon Crown Court today (25 January) HHJ Lowe gave Bower an extended sentence, saying he had no hesitation in concluding you are dangerous.

The offences Bower pleaded guilty to were committed between 2008 and 2017.

Description

A jailed sex offender from Whitstable will serve a further prison term after a new investigation uncovered crimes that took place almost sixty years ago.

On 10 May 2022 and whilst in prison, Graham Kemp, previously of Gosselin Street, Whitstable, was charged with six new counts of indecent assault, one count of unlawful sex with a girl under 13 years old and one count of rape.

Previous sentence

Kemp, 76, had previously been sentenced in 2018 to five years and three months in prison, for committing a number of sex offences between the late 1990s and 2004. Those offences included the indecent assault of a young girl and indecency with a child.

After Kemp’s original conviction, further victims came forward and Kent Police began a complex investigation into reports of child sexual assault and rape that dated back to the 1960s.

New conviction

Kemp was sentenced to a further 21 years in prison on 5 January 2024, following a trial at Canterbury Crown Court.

Description

A Chatham sex offender who offered money to children he groomed and abused has been jailed for 13 years.

Matthew Lockwood used social media apps to target and manipulate teenage boys as young as 13.

Lockwood, of Edgewater on St Mary’s Island, accessed online platforms including Snapchat and Grindr during a campaign of abuse between 2016 and 2023.

He was arrested in February 2023 and an investigation linked the 47-year-old to a catalogue of offences, which included sexual activity with at least four children.

At Canterbury Crown Court, Lockwood pleaded guilty to 22 counts. These included charges of sexual activity with a child, paying for sexual services of a child, sexual exploitation of a child, and sexual communications with a child. He also admitted offences relating to the possession and distribution of thousands of illegal images of children, many in the most serious category and which included videos of some of the victims he had contact with.

Lockwood was sentenced on Friday 12 January 2024 to 13 years in jail. He was added to the Sex Offenders' Register for life and handed a 15 year Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

Description

A Swanley man found guilty of more than a dozen child sex offences has been sentenced to 17 years in prison.

Luke Wallace was responsible for a catalogue of repeated abuse, including multiple rapes, and used threats to ensure his young victim didn’t tell anyone.

Allegations of abuse were first made to Kent Police on 14 June 2022, and Wallace was arrested the same day.

An investigation by the West Kent Child Protection Team established he had persistently targeted the victim, over a period spanning between three and four years.

Following his arrest, several devices belonging to Wallace were seized. These included a mobile phone, which officers discovered had a secure folder and contained illegal images of children.

Denial

During police interviews, Wallace dismissed all the allegations. He also denied taking or downloading the images found on his phone and said it must have been down to ‘someone else’.

At Wood Green Crown Court, Wallace, 36, pleaded not guilty to a total of 16 child sex offences and the case went to trial.

He was found guilty of four counts of rape, four counts of inciting a child to engage in sexual activity and two counts of sexual assault.

Wallace was also convicted of four charges which related to making and taking indecent images of a child. A jury returned a verdict of not guilty for a further two counts of rape.

Dangerous

Wallace was deemed by Judge Alexander Jacobs to be a ‘dangerous’ offender. On Monday 18 December 2023, he received an extended sentence of 17 years’ imprisonment with an additional four years on licence.

He must serve at least two thirds of the custodial sentence before he can apply for parole. He was also added to the sex offenders' register, indefinitely.

Description

A prisoner at HMP Elmley in Sheppey is facing an additional sentence after he carried out further sex offences within his cell.

Terrance Kamara repeatedly exposed himself to a member of prison staff after they responded to him pressing an emergency alarm bell.

Kamara would request items such as a pen or paper, and when the victim returned he would be exposed and committing an indecent act.

The 27-year-old had initially been jailed in October 2022 for two-and-a-half years, following a string of sex offences earlier that year which included three incidents of indecent exposure.

Guilty pleas

His latest offences in the prison, located close to the village of Eastchurch, happened during July, August and October 2022 and led to him being charged by Kent Police with three counts of exposure.

Kamara was also charged with the sexual assault of another victim inside the prison, as well as an assault on an emergency worker.

Kamara, previously from Tilbury, Essex pleaded guilty to all the charges and on 30 November 2023 was sentenced at Canterbury Crown Court to a further 56 weeks’ imprisonment. He was also added to the sex offender register for 10 years. 

Description

A jail term of more than eight years has been imposed on a man who raped a woman he had met at a pub.

Robert Mills met his victim in New Romney one evening in August 2019 before they walked back to his home in Hardy Road, Greatstone.

Mills had offered to walk the woman home but instead led her through the woods to where he lived and once inside locked the door and raped her.

The woman was terrified after Mills had shown her he was carrying a knife, but she managed to escape from his property following the attack and ran home to safety during the early hours of the morning.

The incident was reported to Kent Police straight away and Mills was arrested the same day. Despite denying the allegations, the 28-year-old was convicted of two counts of rape following a trial at Canterbury Crown Court on 25 August 2023.

He was subsequently jailed for a total of eight-and-a-half years on Friday 8 December 2023 and will serve an additional five-and-a-half years on licence under the terms of an extended sentence.

Description

A Gillingham resident has been jailed for the sexual abuse of a child.

Milen Ivanov targeted the young victim between 1 June and 9 August 2022, after he made them believe they were in a relationship.

His offending came to light after the child told their parents what had been happening, and they then contacted Kent Police.

Ivanov, of Chaucer Road, was arrested on 28 August 2022. He was bailed with conditions, including not to contact the victim, while investigators built the case against him.

During this time, Ivanov committed further offences including sharing indecent images of the victim and making threats towards the child.

He was charged with two counts of sexual activity with a child, intimidation of a witness, making indecent photographs of a child and disclosing a private sexual photograph.

The 34-year-old was jailed at Maidstone Crown Court on 26 October 2023, for six years and eight months. He will also be subject to a 10-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order and a five-year restraining order on his release.

Description

A Chatham sex offender who targeted a child has been jailed for three years.

David Kemp was sentenced at Maidstone Crown Court on Wednesday 1 November 2023, after he pleaded guilty to arranging the commission of a child sex offence and attempted sexual communication with a child.

He was detained by officers from Kent Police’s Paedophile On Line Investigation Team at Strood Train Station on Wednesday 13 April 2022.

His arrest followed an investigation that found Kemp had engaged in sexually explicit conversations online with a girl he believed was 13 years old.

During the conversations between 4 April and 13 April, he also sent explicit images.

When Kemp, aged 40, of Silverweed Road, Chatham, travelled to Medway having arranged to meet the girl he was arrested and later charged.

Investigating officer Detective Constable Lise Roots, said: ‘We proactively target people who seek to commit sexual offences against children and, in this case, the evidence was overwhelming.

‘By travelling to a prearranged meeting, Kemp has shown he poses a significant risk to children. The prison sentence is entirely justified and he will be also required to comply with the terms of Sexual Harm Prevention Order on his release.’

Description

A sex offender who abused a young child and engaged in explicit conversations with others has been jailed.

Jonathan Martin filmed himself committing a number of serious sexual assaults against a boy and also encouraged children from outside the UK to engage in sexual activity online.

Kent Police’s Paedophile Online Investigation Team was first alerted to Martin’s offending in May 2022 after he uploaded indecent images of children to the internet.

Evidence found at home

Searches at his home address in Swanscombe found mobile phones and a tablet under the kickboard in the kitchen.

Martin was further arrested in July 2022. When officers arrived at his home address to make the arrest, he was seen to throw a laptop from his balcony. Searches of the property located two mobile phones hidden inside cereal boxes and a toaster, along with other devices.

When investigators examined the contents of the phones, numerous videos and images were found of the 35-year-old sexually assaulting a young child. Extensive work was conducted and investigators were able to identify the child victim, who has since been safeguarded.

Officers also found sexual conversations with other victims, some as young as 10. Martin had encouraged them to engage in sexual acts, send him pictures and to meet with him. On one occasion it was established that Martin had arranged to meet a child in a park but he was late and the child had to leave.

Collaboration worldwide

Kent Police worked together with Homeland Security Investigations and shared information regarding children living in the US, whom Martin had been offending against online. All identified children were visited and safeguarded by US authorities. Through other work with Interpol, a child in Finland who Martin had been in contact with was also safeguarded.

A total of 162 videos were found on Martin’s devices of which 59 were of the most serious Category A. A further 1,095 images were found including 175 Category A.

Martin, from Lett Lane, Swanscombe, was charged with a total of 32 child sex offences including rape, sexual assault, inciting a child to engage in sexual activity, making indecent images and others.

Jailed

He pleaded guilty to all but two of the offences and on Monday 6 November 2023 at Woolwich Crown Court was sentenced to ten and half years in prison. He will also serve another year on licence. Martin was also placed on the sex offenders register for life and issued with a lifelong sexual harm prevention order.

Detective Constable Michelle James of the Paedophile Online Investigation Team said:

‘Jonathan Martin is a very real danger to society and I am certain he would have abused more children had we not been alerted to his offending. I would like to commend the child victim who was sexually abused by him for having the courage to speak with investigators.‘

This case serves as a reminder that the online world is a public one and it is important everyone understands the risks.’

Detective Inspector Robert Grieve added:

‘This sentencing shows that Kent Police works hard with partner organisations to target offenders who are using the internet to exploit young children.

‘This type of offending knows no borders but this case shows there are also no boundaries when it comes to safeguarding children and identifying perpetrators.’

Description

Two abuse victims have bravely spoken of the heartbreaking toll their jailed attacker's deviant behaviour has had on their lives.

Standing in the witness box at Canterbury Crown Court, one described how they feared paedophile Adam North would "always haunt" them and that just hearing his name "sent a shiver" down their spine.

Another said they "struggled" every day and tragically wished they were no longer alive.

North, of The Street, in Willesborough, Ashford, was unanimously convicted by a jury in June of multiple offences in respect of his "sexual, violent and cruel" conduct dating back more than a decade.

The 41-year-old had maintained on his arrest and at trial that the accusations were "in their heads", and the court was told at his sentencing hearing this week that he continues to assert his innocence.

But on jailing the child molester for 18 years in front of "supportive" family and friends sitting in the public gallery, a judge said he had been found guilty on overwhelming evidence of "perpetuating evil".

He also praised the victims' courage and said "victory was theirs" as their "spirit and dignity" remained unbroken.

Visibly upset in the hushed courtroom and choking back tears, they read out their impact statements in which they detailed the devastating and disturbing consequences of North's offending.

This had involved being molested and performing sexual acts and watching child and extreme pornography, said prosecutor Daniel Stevenson.

They were also physically assaulted and threatened so they would not report their ordeals.

One said they now suffered from PTSD, hallucinations, anxiety and panic attacks, and even described being "disappointed" to wake from a suicide attempt and thinking there was "no escape."

"This will be the last time I force myself to talk about what happened because the mere mention of his name sends a shiver down my spine," the victim told the court.

"I feel I lost a part of myself I will never get back. I hope one day he will understand the pain and suffering he has caused me.

"I dread the day he is released. I hope his time in prison is punishment itself.

"He will always be haunting my nightmares and causing me pain."

The second victim spoke of also being diagnosed with PTSD and developing a "self-destructive" nature.

"I don't care what happens to me. Sometimes I wish I'm not alive anymore because every day is a struggle. When I think about the future, I don't think I have a future," they told the court.

"This will be the last time I force myself to talk about what happened because the mere mention of his name sends a shiver down my spine...”

"I don't think I will ever recover. I feel like [the abuse] will follow me forever."

North has no previous convictions and as many as 13 character references were provided by his partner, family and friends for the sentencing hearing.

"They support him, are at court today to support him, and will continue to support him, notwithstanding the sentence passed," said defence barrister Toby Cadman.

Telling North as he stood impassively in the dock that he would have to serve at least two-thirds of his jail term before parole would be considered, Judge Mark Weekes said he had "wrecked" childhoods.

"All sexual abuse scars forever. That is the sad, inevitable and notorious feature of such offending. No sentence I can impose can restore their confidence, or undo the harm you have caused," he said.

"You grossly violated both. Both suffered in silence. I have read with concern and sadness the victim impact statements.

"It has left one broken and it is quite clear this has had a devastating impact on their life. It is clear too that [the second victim] has suffered enormously.

"And yet, for all that, the final victory in this case is theirs. The courage in coming forward to report you and give evidence against you shows that your abuse did not in fact break their spirit.

"It is clear to me that you wrecked the childhood of both. You grossly violated both. Both suffered in silence...”

"You did not and could not remove the dignity of either of them. On the contrary, both can have the comfort of knowing their evidence has been accepted and has been believed.

"Both can know that they have forced you to confront your dark past. Both are to be applauded for their bravery and coming forward in that way. It would not have been an easy step.

"Each delivered their moving victim personal statements in person to me today and it is clear to me that they are both, in their own ways, remarkable."

In adding that he hoped the sentencing hearing would help their "healing process", he also told North: "I hope that a small part of you, at some point in the months and years that follow, begins to accept what you have done and you begin to understand quite what terrible harm you have caused, and perhaps to reflect, and ultimately, to regret it."

On his release, North will be subject, as an "offender of particular concern" to an additional year on any licence period, and indefinitely to sex offender notification requirements and a sexual harm prevention order.

Description

James Joiner, 67, of The Meadows, took advantage of his victim between February and May 2017.

He was found guilty of three counts of sexual activity with a child following an earlier trial, and on Friday 27 October 2023 at Canterbury Crown Court was sentenced to three years’ imprisonment.

Police staff investigator Stewart Ross-Cumming of Kent Police said: ‘The offences committed by James Joiner caused his victim a great deal of emotional trauma and she was very brave in coming forward to report what had happened to her.

‘I hope she can now continue to rebuild her life and take comfort in the fact that her abuser will now spend a significant length of time behind bars.

‘Joiner has proven himself to pose a danger to children and I am pleased no others will be at risk whilst he serves his custodial sentence.’

Description

A convicted sex offender posted selfies taken at court on social media shortly after being spared jail for molesting a teenager.

On being handed a suspended sentence, Charlie Steine was told by the judge he should “reflect on and be grateful for” the forgiveness shown to him by his victim and his mother.

But within hours he had updated his Facebook profile picture to show him posing outside Canterbury Crown Court, captioning the image with a laughing emoji and saying: "Crown court for the 7th time this year.”

The 23-year-old also shared selfies he had taken inside the building – itself a criminal offence of contempt, so KentOnline cannot publish the images.

Steine was at the court to be sentenced having earlier pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting a boy in Ramsgate.

Appearing there last Friday, Judge Mark Weekes remarked the victim and his parent had shown "considerable understanding and insight" into the defendant's behaviour on June 25 last year.

Prosecutor Suzanne Fewins said the youth was in Ramsgate when Steine, who the teen had previously seen begging, asked for 20p before questioning the boy about his sexuality and asking him to rate his appearance.

"The victim felt uncomfortable but, not wanting to be rude, responded "Six out of 10"," she told the court. "The defendant then asked for a hug. He then hugged the victim, stroked his back and started kissing his neck.

"The victim said he was frozen and didn't know what to do so stood still. The defendant let go and asked him to kiss him back. The victim said "No" and started to walk away."

However, Steine followed and tried to give him his Snapchat details.

"The victim said he felt really worried, wanted to get home, and kept shouting "no" in the defendant's direction," added Ms Fewins

The incident was reported to police and Steine, having been identified from CCTV footage, was arrested 11 days later at his grandmother's home.

When interviewed, he said he could not remember where he had been that day and "would not have kissed the boy and was not gay", said Ms Fewins.

However, Steine, who has seven previous convictions for 42 offences but none of a sexual nature, later pleaded guilty on the first day of trial in July.

The victim and his mother both attended that hearing and in a subsequent statement read to the court she described how she was "heartbroken" to hear the defendant had been dealt "a hard hand in life" but pleased he had been drug-free for a year.

"I left feeling pity for him and hoped that his future sentencing would be minimal," she continued. "My son said he felt extremely sorry for him and doesn't deserve what's coming to him.

"He knows [Steine] wasn't in his right mind when he did what he did and holds no hate towards him. He hopes he gets all the help he needs for a better life. He wishes Charlie all the best, as I do."

Kerry Waitt, defending, acknowledged the "very magnanimous" victim impact statement, adding the incident would have been "undoubtedly deeply distressing".

But he told the court Steine, who is from Ramsgate, was "effectively homeless, living on the streets" and should be given the "support and encouragement needed to move on in his life".

Passing sentence, Judge Weekes said the defendant, while intoxicated, had initially engaged his victim in "what might crudely be termed some form of banter" before accosting him in a "quite distressing and frightening" manner.

But he said he was "heartened" to read the "exceptionally humane" statement from the boy's mother and told Steine: "She and your victim are extremely forgiving people and you should be extremely grateful for that.

"They understand and have considerable insight into the state you were in at the time of this offence and you would do well to reflect on that when you leave court. Your victim has demonstrated a considerable milk of human kindness."

The judge added it was "most unfortunate" Steine had not pleaded guilty at an earlier stage, and highlighted the fact he had continued to maintain his innocence

But he told him that was now "water under the bridge" due to the "very good progress" he had made, and that while his behaviour was "troubling", he did not pose a significant risk to the public.

Steine was handed an 18-month jail term suspended for two years, with 20 rehabilitation activity sessions and a 12-month drug rehabilitation requirement. He must also sign on the sex offender register for 10 years.

He thanked the judge as he left court, before later sharing the selfies taken inside and outside the building.

In a post that morning he had told his Facebook friends he was due at crown court, and when one asked why he replied: “For having to say guilty for something I was innocent of, how crumbled the system is.”

After the sentencing hearing he wrote that he had once been a “very bad naughty druggy boy”, but was now “such a different person”.

Days before he had posted a video he had sent to someone in an effort to engage them in a fight, shouting in the footage: “Come here now and scrap me d***head.”

Description

Jack Usher was arrested and charged after detectives from the Kent and Essex Serious Crime Directorate investigated the incident on 13 May this year.

The 18-year-old admitted attempted rape at Canterbury Crown Court in July and was jailed for six years and nine months at the same court on Tuesday 17 October.

He will serve an extended six-year licence period after that term and has been placed on the Sex Offender Register indefinitely.

The victim was walking along a woodland path near Dunes Road, Greatstone, shortly after 5pm on 13 May when she encountered Usher, who was not known to her.

He ran up behind her and repeatedly hit her to the head, knocking her to the ground.

He told the woman he was going to rape her and attempted to drag her towards some bushes.

The victim managed to push him away and leave the area before contacting police.

An investigation was launched which saw an extensive review of all CCTV in the area, leading to Usher being identified as a suspect.

He was arrested at his home in Marsh Crescent, New Romney on 18 May and was charged the following day.

Senior investigating officer Detective Inspector Ross Gurden said: ‘This attack would have been terrifying for the victim and I would like to praise her courage in supporting our investigation and this prosecution.

‘I hope the quick arrest and charge of this suspect, as well as the jail term now imposed, reassures the local community, who must have found the incident very concerning.

‘Tackling violence against women and girls is Kent Police’s top priority and an important part of that is tracking down and bringing to justice offenders like Jack Usher.’