Convicted Sittingbourne Sex Offender Rejailed

A convicted sex offender from Sittingbourne is starting a prison sentence after ignoring measures imposed by the courts to prevent him from reoffending.

Lewis Mortimer has been jailed for five years after he was found in possession of a haul of child abuse material, which even included a paedophile manual.

Mortimer, 42, of Shortlands Road, had a number of previous convictions for child sex offences and when he was arrested had been the subject of measures imposed by the court which restricted his access to the internet. These restrictions meant he also had to notify police of any internet enabled devices he possessed, such as phone and computers, as well as details including online usernames, bank cards and passport information. 

In December 2019, Kent Police learned that Mortimer had contacted a woman on the internet and claimed to be a photographer who worked with young children. A similar report was made to police a few months later, when after contacting another woman Mortimer sent images of children being abused.

On 1st April 2020, he was arrested at his home address. Searches led to the seizure of several devices, including a tablet concealed within a base of a divan bed. The devices were examined, and a phone was found to contain files containing indecent images, as well as pages from a so-called paedophile manual containing explicit details of how to groom and abuse victims. More than 23,000 images were also recovered from the tablet Mortimer had hidden inside the bed, many of which were in the most extreme category.

Mortimer appeared before Maidstone Crown Court, where he pleaded guilty to three counts of distributing indecent images, four counts of possessing indecent images and with possessing a paedophile manual. He also admitted ten counts of breaching notification requirements and seven further counts of breaching a sexual offence prevention order.

He was sentenced on Friday (10th February) to five years’ imprisonment, with an extended licence period of a further two years. He will remain on the sex offenders register for life.

DS Vicky Whitmill, of the Offender Management Unit, told SFM News: "Mortimer was subject to strict measures designed to reduce the risk of him reoffending. He has been unable to adhere to these restrictions and has demonstrated a clear determination to access illegal and harmful images, many of which include the horrific abuse of children. Make no mistake, the material Mortimer deliberately sought and downloaded will have resulted from real victims suffering appalling abuse. He has a significant offending history and appears to have no understanding of the gravity of his actions. People like him must face the consequences and we will continue to do everything we can to ensure they are brought before the courts."