Convicted sex offender from Worthing jailed after contacting 12-year-old child

A convicted registered sex offender has been jailed for breaching the conditions of his Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) by contacting a 12-year-old child.

Kevin Challen, 55, from Worthing, had been first convicted in March 2021 for possessing indecent images of children that were found on his computer during an investigation by police. This resulted in him receiving a suspended prison sentence of 10 months, being placed on the Sex Offenders Register for 10 years and subject to specific restrictions under a SHPO.

Whilst serving his suspended sentence, Challen went on to breach the conditions of the SHPO and through lies and deception, befriended unsuspecting family friends and started messaging a 12-year-old child.

The child was brave enough to inform their parents of the extent of Challen's unlawful contact with them and this resulted in Sussex Police officers arresting Challen again.

After a detailed investigation, Challen was charged with three offences of breaching his SHPO and also for failing to comply with notification requirements on the Sex Offenders Register.

Challen pleaded guilty to the offences and appeared at Lewes Crown Court for sentencing on Wednesday (15 March) where he received a prison sentence of 31 months and his SHPO was amended to run indefinitely.

Crime investigator Dawn Hosken said: “I would like to commend the victim for their bravery in coming forward and to the witnesses for their support in this case. Challen, a convicted sex offender, is now in prison.” Hear all the latest news from across the UK on the hour, every hour, on Greatest Hits Radio on DAB, smartspeaker, at greatesthitsradio.co.uk, and on the Rayo app.