Samuel Clark

A dangerous paedophile, Samuel Clark, aged 38, was jailed for 42 months after going 'off grid' in North Yorkshire, evading police monitoring for nearly a year. As a registered sex offender since 2012, Clark was required to notify authorities of his living arrangements and any internet devices under a sexual harm prevention order (SHPO). However, he failed to do so, leading to the discovery of extensive child sexual abuse material on his devices.

Prosecutor Kelly Clarke told the court that Clark had previously been sentenced at Carlisle Crown Court in 2012 to one year in prison for 26 offences related to indecent images of children and extreme pornography, resulting in lifelong placement on the sex offenders' register and under the SHPO. On 8 November 2023, Clark informed police he was residing at Cromwell Terrace, Scarborough, where officers visited him on 17 November. By January 2024, he had vacated the property without notification, owing £1,000 in rent. When he attended Scarborough Police Station on 8 November 2024 to complete his annual monitoring form, he provided an address at Columbus Ravine, Scarborough. The homeowner confirmed Clark, who held keys as a handyman, had no permission to live there, though evidence showed he had been residing in the house.

Police searches uncovered two laptops and other internet devices that Clark had not declared. Examination revealed a 170-page 'paedophile manual' offering advice on grooming and sexually exploiting children, alongside more than 35,000 indecent images and videos of children. This included 4,440 pictures and 200 videos in the most serious category, 4,249 pictures and 33 videos in the middle category, and 26,185 pictures and 69 videos in the least serious category. Clark pleaded guilty to two counts of failing to notify police of his address, two breaches of the SHPO, three charges of possessing indecent images of children, and one count of possessing the paedophile manual.

Defence barrister Neal Kutte argued that Clark had complied with requirements for many years and had not intended to disappear, but feared arrest after missing the three-day notification deadline. Kutte emphasised Clark's insistence that his behaviour would not escalate to contact offending. Judge Simon Hickey rejected this, stating, 'I take the view you do have a clear sexual interest in children. You are undoubtedly, in my judgement, dangerous.' The judge highlighted the manual's content and the vast quantity of images, noting that children were abused solely for viewers like Clark. He warned, 'You could well go to exploit children in the future,' and hoped authorities would monitor him closely post-release. Clark, of no fixed address, will remain on the sex offenders' register and under the SHPO for life.

• Offences: Failure to notify address (x2), SHPO breach (x2), Indecent images of children (x3), Possession of paedophile manual (x1)
• Court: Scarborough Magistrates' Court (implied from context)
• Source: Gazette & Herald, reported by Megi Rychlikova, 7 December 2024