A Kent sex offender who breached a court order several times was tracked by down 100 miles away from his home by officers.
Matthew Downing was handed a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) in January 2022 after being convicted of sexual offences including making indecent images of children.
Subsequently, his internet access was restricted and he was prevented from using a phone or computer without notifying police and having monitoring software installed.
In February, officers were made aware the 25-year-old had been using such devices without permission but couldn’t locate him at his home in Salisbury Road, Dover.
He was treated as a missing sex offender but within days he was located sleeping in a newly-purchased car in the Surrey village of Shalford by officers from the MOSOVO (Management of Sexual Offenders and Violent Offenders) team.
Downing was taken into custody and later charged with 13 separate offences including 10 breaches of his SHPO
These relate to his use of an anonymous web browser, an online storage device and a social media app with disappearing messages, and his failure to notify police that he had access to a smartphone, a laptop computer and two virtual computers.
He also used the dark web to make indecent images of children, and breached the terms of his notification requirements by failing to register dating app usernames.
Downing pleaded guilty to all offences when he appeared at Canterbury Crown Court on Monday, March 10, and has been remanded in custody ahead of his sentencing at the same court on Thursday, April 17
Detective Sergeant Alex Walker said: “Sexual Harm Prevention Orders help to reduce the risk certain individuals may pose to the public after being released from prison, and enforcing them is a responsibility we take very seriously.
“Our specialist officers leave no stone unturned in tracking down those we suspect of breaching their orders, and will travel as far as is necessary in order to bring them into custody and back before a court.”
