Alan Neville Clarke

Alan Neville Clarke, a 53-year-old man from Leybourne Road in Brighton, East Sussex, has been jailed for possessing indecent images of children and breaching a Sexual Offending Prevention Order (SOPO). Clarke, who was already a registered sex offender, was sentenced at Lewes Crown Court on 13 November 2020, following his guilty plea at an earlier hearing.

The court heard that Clarke had previously been convicted in 2013 for possessing indecent images of children, resulting in the imposition of a SOPO designed to monitor and restrict his online activities. Despite this, police supervision revealed multiple breaches. Clarke had wiped a monitoring system from his computer that allowed authorities to check his internet access, installed a file-sharing application without prior police approval, and changed his email address without notification. These actions were clear attempts to evade detection.

Further investigation by the Sussex Police's Violent and Sexual Offender (VISOR) team uncovered that Clarke had accessed and made additional indecent images of children, including material classified in the most serious category. Detective Constable Sarah Hart of the Brighton VISOR team stated: '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.' This case underscores the ongoing vigilance required in managing registered sex offenders to prevent reoffending.

Clarke received concurrent sentences of eight months for the possession of indecent images and 16 months for breaching the SOPO, amounting to a total of 16 months' imprisonment. The sentencing reflects the severity of his deliberate actions in disregarding court orders and continuing to engage in child sexual exploitation offences. Sussex Police continue to emphasise their commitment to public safety through rigorous monitoring of such individuals.