A sex offender was tracked down 100 miles from his home with indecent images of children from the dark web.
Matthew Downing was issued with a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) three years ago after being convicted of multiple sexual offences.
It meant the 25-year-old was unable to use any phone or computer without first notifying Kent Police and allowing monitoring software to be installed.
However, officers became aware Downing had been using such devices without permission in February, but were unable to locate him at his home address in Salisbury Road, Dover.
He was therefore treated as a missing sex offender and within days was found sleeping in a newly-purchased car by officers in Gomshall, near Guildford in Surrey.
Downing was taken into custody where he refused to answer any questions during his interview and was later charged with 13 separate offences, including 10 breaches of his SHPO – imposed in January 2022.
These relate to his use of an anonymous web browser, an online storage device and a social media app with disappearing messages.
This was alongside his failure to notify police he had access to a smartphone, a laptop and two virtual computers.
This includes two years and three months for unrelated offences committed outside of Kent.
Det Con Marie-Anne Boulton said: “Matthew Downing has repeatedly demonstrated that he cannot be trusted to access the internet without being complicit in the sexual abuse of children whose images he views and shares online.
“Sexual Harm Prevention Orders help to reduce the risk offenders like Downing may pose to the public after being released from prison, and enforcing them is a responsibility we take very seriously.
“Downing thought he could get away with hiding his devices from us by running away to Surrey, but our specialist officers were quickly able to locate him and bring him to justice.
“He will now serve another period of time behind bars as a result.”
