A registered sex offender from near Maidstone has been jailed for two years after falsely claiming he only communicated with an underage girl to get her banned from a website.
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Darren Cross has been jailed
Officers paid an unannounced visit to the Ditton home of 42-year-old Darren Cross on Tuesday 3 February 2026. Upon searching his mobile phone, officers discovered that Cross had created new online profiles without disclosing the usernames to Kent Police, directly violating his sex offenders’ register requirements. Investigators also discovered that he had deleted his internet history and had actively attempted to sexually communicate with a child.
During his custody interview following his arrest, Cross attempted to defend his actions by claiming he was merely searching the website for underage children to report to moderators for banning. However, officers uncovered clear evidence that Cross had sent multiple messages of a sexual nature to an individual he believed to be a 13-year-old girl.
Cross was subsequently charged with attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child, two counts of failing to comply with sex offenders’ register requirements, and breaching a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO). After pleading guilty to the offences, he was sentenced to two years’ imprisonment at Maidstone Crown Court on Thursday 14 May 2026.
Investigating officer PC Charlotte Wilson said:
‘Cross is a manipulative individual who tried to cover up his crimes by deleting his search history and creating profiles under fake names. Not only that, but he came up with far-fetched lies and acted as though he was protecting children online, when in fact he was the one they needed protecting from.
‘Although he didn’t actually harm anyone, his intentions were clear and I’m glad to see him behind bars.
It shows that we will monitor and manage sex offenders to ensure they comply with their conditions. If they don’t, we will make sure they are prosecuted.’