Richard Simon Morris

A prolific paedophile and registered sex offender, Richard Simon Morris, has been sentenced to prison after authorities discovered more than 1,500 indecent images of children on his electronic devices. The 59-year-old from Bournemouth appeared at Bournemouth Crown Court on Friday, 29 November 2024, where he admitted three counts of possessing indecent images of children.

Morris received a custodial sentence of two years and eight months, along with an extended licence period of 18 months. The investigation began on 28 June 2023, when an offender manager and colleague visited Morris at his home address as part of routine monitoring under his Sexual Harm Prevention Order. During the visit, officers requested to inspect his phone, but Morris initially produced a different device to the one he had been using. Upon challenge, he revealed the other device, which contained images officers believed to be indecent.

• Morris was arrested immediately, and several electronic devices were seized for forensic examination.
• He was released on bail, but a follow-up visit on 23 August 2023 uncovered further suspected indecent images on a mobile phone.

In total, the examination revealed 1,500 indecent images, categorised as follows: 282 Category A (the most serious), 446 Category B, and 811 Category C. These images were both accessible and inaccessible on his devices. Detective Constable Phillip Riggs of the Paedophile Online Investigation Team commented: 'Richard Morris is a persistent offender who continued to illegally access indecent images despite being a registered sex offender and the subject of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order, showing a clear lack of remorse for his previous offending or the sanctions imposed on him by the courts.' Riggs further praised the monitoring efforts: 'Thanks to the continued monitoring by his offender manager, this repeated offending was identified, and he has been brought back to court to face the consequences of his actions.'

The case was handled by Dorset Police's Paedophile Online Investigation Team, working with partner agencies to ensure thorough investigation. As stated by Riggs: 'The Paedophile Online Investigation Team will continue to work with our partner agencies to ensure offences of this nature are thoroughly investigated and offenders are brought to justice. POLIT officers go to great lengths alongside other teams and agencies to ensure people are brought to justice for displaying a sexual interest in children.' This sentencing underscores the ongoing efforts to monitor and prosecute individuals who pose risks to children through online exploitation.