A registered sex offender from Maidstone has been jailed for six years after he used the internet to send explicit images and messages to a user he believed to be a young child.
On 17 July 2024, a Kent Police offender management team was alerted to suspicious activity linked to Terry Coleman’s use of social media. Coleman, 60, (pictured below) had been subject to the terms of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) following previous convictions for illegal child images, and began interacting with a Snapchat user purporting to be a teenage girl.
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For the two weeks that followed, Coleman bombarded the account with sexualised messages and explicit photos and videos of himself. He encouraged her to engage in inappropriate conversation, and requested she engage in sexual activity and share intimate photos.
On 1 August, officers arrived at Coleman’s home address in Aylesford and arrested him. A search led to the seizure of a smart TV, capable of accessing the internet, which Coleman had not registered with Kent Police as required by the SHPO.
Coleman was charged the same day with attempting to engage in sexual communications with a child, causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity, and causing a child to look at a sexual image. He also admitted breaches of his Sexual Harm Prevention Order, failing to comply with notification requirements, and possession of cannabis. He pleaded guilty and was sentenced at Maidstone Crown Court on 2 April 2025 to six years’ imprisonment.
Police investigator Charlotte Wager, said:
‘Coleman – a convicted and registered sex offender – targeted who he believed to be a young and vulnerable child with lewd messages and vile images and videos.
‘His flagrant disregard for the victim’s wellbeing was evident as he persistently coerced them into sharing content for his own gratification and he has demonstrated a complete lack of remorse for his abhorrent behaviour.’