A child predator who posed as a teenage boy online to bombard two young victims with sexually explicit messages has been jailed for over six years.
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Connor Hurn, a 26-year-old resident of Maidstone, began his illicit online activity in January 2022 when he first targeted a 14-year-old victim. For two years, Hurn repeatedly harassed the teenager, sharing indecent images of himself and demanding that the victim return similar explicit content.
When the teenager eventually blocked him, Hurn circumvented the restriction by creating new social media profiles under the false pretence of being a 16-year-old boy. In September 2024, he used these deceptive accounts to target a second 14-year-old victim in a similar fashion, escalating his behavior by demanding images of an even more explicit nature.
Hurn’s abusive behaviour was swiftly halted after just four days of targeting the second victim when Kent Police intervened. Following reports of his illicit online activity, officers arrested Hurn and seized his electronic devices. A thorough forensic investigation of the data contained within the devices uncovered evidence that identified numerous other victims.
As a result of the police investigation, Hurn was charged with engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child, inciting a child to engage in sexual activity, attempting to engage in sexual activity in the presence of a child, and sending a photograph or film to cause alarm, distress, or humiliation. Hurn pleaded guilty to the charges and was sentenced to six years and eight months’ imprisonment at Maidstone Crown Court on Thursday 14 May 2026. In addition to his prison sentence, the court handed Hurn a 10-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order and placed him on the sex offenders’ register for life.
Police staff investigator Lauren King said:
‘Hurn is a serial predator who repeatedly targeted young and vulnerable children for his own sexual gratification. He created an online persona to lie to his victims and gain their trust before abusing them.
‘The lengthy custodial sentence reflects the seriousness of his offending and means he will be unable to cause further harm for the foreseeable future.’