A sex offender from Cranbrook has been jailed after targeting teenagers in Tenterden in November 2023.

On Friday 3 November and Monday 6 November 2023Joseph Kemp, 33, approached teenage girls in the Ashford Road area of the town and made inappropriate comments to them.

Joseph Kemp_ WM
Joseph Kemp

The girls reported the incidents and, following an investigation by the East Kent Vulnerability Investigation Team, Kemp was charged on Thursday 9 November. He pleaded guilty to two counts of inciting a child to engage in sexual activity and two counts of attempting to engage in sexual activity in the presence of a child. He was sentenced to three years and seven months’ imprisonment at Canterbury Crown Court on Thursday 14 March 2024.

Detective Constable Ryan O’ Hagan said: 

‘We are determined to protect people from sexual predators such as Kemp and I am pleased he is now behind bars.

‘I would like to praise the girls for their courage in reporting Kemp’s crimes, and I would urge anyone who believes they or someone they know has been the victim of an offence to report it to the police at the first opportunity.

‘We will work to bring offenders to justice and protect you and others.’

By Ed

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