A registered sex offender, bound by stringent internet access restrictions, was discovered using a laptop to obtain illegal images of children following an unannounced police visit in a Kent town.
Explicit material including the sexual abuse of children was recovered after police made an unannounced visit in Snodland to the home of Roger Crabtree on 2 November 2023.
Crabtree, 59, was subject to an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) stemming from prior convictions related to creating and possessing indecent images. The SHPO mandated that any internet-enabled devices be made readily available for inspection.
The inspection revealed suspicious search terms in the web history, leading to the seizure of a laptop and hard drives. Forensic analysis of these devices uncovered 33 illegal images and videos of children, including several within the most severe category, depicting unknown victims being subjected to abuse.
Following the discovery of the evidence, he was subsequently arrested and charged with multiple counts of making indecent images of children.
Crabtree pleaded guilty to these charges and also admitted to breaching the SHPO, which occurred in January 2024 when internet history was unlawfully deleted from a device.
On 2 May 2025, Crabtree, 59, was sentenced at Maidstone Crown Court. Recorder David Wood described him as being of high risk to children, adding the material he had accessed showed ‘real victims having terrible things done to them’.
Crabtree was jailed for two years and six months. The sentence included a penalty for breaching a previous suspended sentence.
Leading the investigation was PC Rob Allen, who said:
‘Crabtree has a lengthy history of offending connected to his desire to access and obtain images and videos of real children suffering appalling abuse.
‘He has been given several chances by the courts but has repeatedly shown a flagrant disregard for the measures and restrictions imposed to protect children and prevent him from reoffending.
‘Crabtree appears to have no understanding of the gravity of his actions, but as this case hopefully shows we will do everything within our powers to ensure offenders like him face the consequences.’