Ben Champion, a 32-year-old man from Folkestone, has a long history of sexual offences and repeated breaches of court orders designed to prevent further harm. Previously convicted in 2017 for undisclosed sexual offences, Champion was subjected to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) to restrict his activities and protect the public. Despite this, he has flouted these restrictions multiple times, demonstrating a persistent risk.
In 2020, Champion was found to have breached his SHPO on several occasions. He lied about possessing a mobile phone with internet access, on which police discovered 18 indecent images. He also failed to report changes of address and a new bank account. A judge, branding him a 'risk to the public', sentenced him to three years and four months in prison.
Released on licence on 1 September 2024, Champion wasted little time in violating the conditions again. Just one week later, on 8 September 2024, during an unannounced police visit to his home, officers searched his mobile phone and found he had been searching online for 'teen boys' and 'cute boys'. The search results included galleries of images tagged with nudity, featuring boys in erotic poses, including one estimated to be about five years old. Three category C indecent images—considered lower severity—were discovered on the device.
Champion was arrested and appeared at Margate Magistrates' Court on 10 September 2024, where he admitted one count of making indecent photographs of a child. Due to the breach of his licence, he was immediately recalled to prison to serve the remainder of his previous sentence, with 14 months left. Sentencing for the new offence was adjourned until 21 October 2024 to allow probation reports.
At the sentencing hearing, Champion appeared via video link from prison. Prosecuting, Terry Knox detailed the findings: 'It was an unannounced visit, and a search of his mobile device found he’d been searching for cute boys and teen boys. A gallery of images had been returned by the search, and they were boys only and had a nudity tag [attached to them]. There was also a second page of gallery pictures, so he had spent some time on the web, and there were various thumbnails showing boys with naked bottoms and in erotic poses. One had his hips forward, and he was thought to be about five years old and was looking at the camera.'
Defending, Scott Neilson noted Champion's early guilty plea and his remand since 10 September 2024. He stated: 'It is a bitter blow that he’s got to serve the whole sentence, but he’s being positive and will take every opportunity while he’s in there. He will not be released until December 2026, and then he will be on licence.' Neilson also mentioned Champion's history of childhood abuse, saying: 'There are issues from that.'
The magistrates acknowledged the rapid reoffending and jailed Champion for 120 days, to run concurrently with his existing sentence, resulting in no additional time served. He was ordered to remain on the sex offenders register for seven years, and his phone was to be destroyed. This case, reported by KentOnline on 5 November 2025, underscores Champion's ongoing non-compliance with measures intended to curb his sexual offending, involving Kent Police in the investigations.