Sittingbourne sex offender who had 'paedophile manual' jailed

A convicted sex offender from Kent who was found in possession of a haul of child abuse material, which even included a paedophile manual has been jailed for five years.

Lewis Mortimer, 42, of Shortlands Road, Sittingbourne had a number of previous convictions for child sex offences, but he ignored measures imposed by the courts to prevent him from reoffending.

These restrictions meant he also had to notify police of any internet enabled devices he possessed, such as phones and computers, as well as details including online usernames, bank cards and passport information.  

In December 2019, Kent Police learned that Mortimer had contacted a woman on the internet and claimed to be a photographer who worked with young children. A similar report was made to police a few months later, when after contacting another woman, Mortimer sent images of children being abused. 

On 1 April 2020, he was arrested at his home, where searches led to the seizure of several devices, including a tablet concealed within a base of a divan bed.

The devices were examined, and a phone was found to contain files containing indecent images, as well as pages from a so-called paedophile manual containing explicit details of how to groom and abuse victims.

More than 23,000 images were also recovered from the tablet Mortimer had hidden inside the bed, many of which were in the most extreme category.

He was sentenced on Friday 10 February 2023 to five years’ imprisonment, with an extended licence period of a further two years. He will remain on the sex offenders register for life.

DS Vicky Whitmill, of the Offender Management Unit, said: "Mortimer 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 illegal and harmful images, many of which include the horrific abuse of children.

"Make no mistake, the material Mortimer deliberately sought and downloaded will have resulted from real victims suffering appalling abuse.

"He has a significant offending history and appears to have no understanding of the gravity of his actions.

"People like him must face the consequences and we will continue to do everything we can to ensure they are brought before the courts."