Brighton man sentenced over repeated child sex image offences

Alan Neville Clarke, 53, of Leybourne Road, Brighton, was sentenced at Lewes Crown Court on Friday 13 November to eight months for indecent images of children and 16 months for breach of a previously court-imposed sexual offending prevention order. He had pleaded guilty at a previous hearing.

The court heard that in 2013 Clarke had been sentenced to and given a Sexual Offending Prevention Order (SOPO) after admitting possessing indecent images of children.

However police supervision of Clarke as a registered sex offender found that he had disregarded the SOPO by wiping from his computer a system that enabled police to check his online access, had installed a file-sharing application without police agreement, and changed his email address, also without police agreement.

In addition he was found to have made further indecent images of children, including some in the most serious category.

Detective Constable Sarah Hart of the Brighton Violent and Sexual Offender team (VISOR) said; "Clarke deliberately set out to acquire further indecent images of children and to conceal that fact from the police. However he was detected by our supervision and brought to justice once again.

"All registered sex offenders are subject to supervision and whenever we find that they are trying to offend again, we will take action."