Timothy Smith

Timothy Smith, a 42-year-old former Tesco security guard from Tunbridge Wells, Kent, has been sentenced to an extended 14-year prison term for a series of abhorrent child sex offences. Smith admitted to 16 charges last month at Maidstone Crown Court, including the sexual assault of children, distributing thousands of indecent images, and taking indecent photographs of young victims. The court heard that Smith posed a significant danger to children, with Judge Martin Joy describing his crimes as 'abhorrent' and noting their devastating impact on victims, one of whom attempted suicide as a result.

The investigation began in November 2016 when Kent Police raided Smith's home on Burslem Road following reports of suspicious online activity. Officers discovered over 37,000 still images on his hard drive, many classified as category A—the most serious level of indecent images of children. During interrogation, Smith confessed to a sexual interest in young children and revealed he had been offending for a decade. He admitted visiting the Philippines in 2015 specifically to abuse a two-year-old girl, filming the 'sickening' acts and saving the videos on his computer. Smith referred to himself as a paedophile and detailed his involvement in three counts of sexual assault of a child between August and November 2015, three counts of distributing indecent images, three counts of taking indecent images, six counts of making indecent images, and one count of sexual activity with a child in August 2013.

Judge Joy expressed shock that Smith had been granted bail prior to sentencing and highlighted a previous caution in 1995 for the sexual assault of a child under four, calling it 'remarkable' that he had been allowed freedom. The judge emphasised Smith's extreme danger, stating: 'There is no doubt you do pose a very great danger, a significant danger, to children.' Detective Constable Mark Bennett of Kent Police described Smith as 'an extremely dangerous individual' who showed little regard for his victims' suffering. Bennett added: 'I am delighted that again, an investigation into someone accessing indecent images has uncovered the truth of these offences—that they are real victims, suffering real abuse.'

Smith has been placed on the sex offenders register for life. The case underscores the real-world harm behind online indecent images, as confirmed by Kent Police's thorough investigation. Sources: BBC News, Kent Police statements, Maidstone Crown Court proceedings (November 2017 sentencing).