A sex offender from Snodland who repeatedly abused a child over a period of almost 10 years has been jailed.
Martin Emery was convicted of a catalogue of offences, after he targeted his vulnerable victim during a series of assaults between 1997 and 2005.
Allegations of abuse were first reported to Kent Police on 18 February 2018 and Emery, who was living in Chatham at the time, was arrested the same day.
Martin Emery Photo: Kent Police
An investigation uncovered that Emery had also secretly filmed his victim, and further offences were identified after several devices were seized from his home including a hard drive and USB stick.
The devices were found to contain hundreds of indecent images of children downloaded from the internet, many of which were in the most serious category.
They also included evidence of obscene and extreme images and videos, some of which involved animals.
Trial and conviction
In June 2021, Emery appeared before Medway Magistrates‘ Court where he only admitted to four charges relating to possessing and making indecent images of children, as well as a charge of possessing extreme pornographic images.
Emery denied all the allegations of child sexual abuse but following a trial at Maidstone Crown Court was found guilty of seven counts of indecent assault, sexual assault and voyeurism.
The 64-year-old, from Snodland was sentenced on Wednesday 3 May, to five years’ imprisonment.
He was also made the subject of a 10-year sexual harm prevention order.
Harrowing abuse
DC Wendy Tondeur, of the North Kent Vulnerability Investigation Team, said: ‘Emery had the trust of a child and exploited this trust in the worst possible way, by subjecting her to systematic and harrowing abuse. The victim was left feeling helpless and with nowhere to turn, but thankfully in recent years found the courage to come forward and help us ensure Emery has now been brought to justice.
‘I would urge anyone who has been a victim of any sexual offence to remember that it is never too late to report this to police. We have a team of specialist officers who work relentlessly to ensure that offenders like Emery do not evade justice, just because a crime may have happened a long time ago. We will always treat any information with the upmost confidence and sensitivity.’
You can report non-recent sex offences via our online portal or by calling 101.
Always call 999 if a crime is in progress.