Maidstone Sex Offender Jailed After Police Found Nearly 200 Indecent Images on Hidden Phone

Kent Police posted details of the case on social media, describing the material found on Royle’s device as among the worst the lead investigator had encountered. The force’s account was also reported by the BBC.

How the Offending Came to Light

According to Kent Police, Royle used a hidden mobile phone and the social media platform Snapchat to make sexual contact with the 13-year-old victim. The girl disclosed the contact to her father, who reported the matter to police. Royle was arrested on 29 November 2023 and the phone was seized at that time.

Examination of the device revealed nearly 200 illicit images and videos, many of which depicted the sexual exploitation of unidentified children.

What the Investigating Officer Said

PC Dan McNary, the lead investigator on the case, said Royle had shown a clear unwillingness to comply with the restrictions already placed on him and a determination to access the internet to contact and exploit children. PC McNary’s remarks were reported by Kent Police as part of the force’s account of the prosecution.

Royle had been subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order before this offending. Such orders are imposed by courts to restrict the behaviour of convicted sex offenders and are intended to prevent further sexual harm. His conduct in obtaining and concealing a mobile phone and using it to contact a child represented a direct breach of those restrictions.

The Role of the Victim’s Family

The case came to the attention of police only after the victim told her father about the contact she had received. His decision to report the matter to officers led directly to Royle’s arrest and the subsequent examination of the device. The discovery of the image and video cache followed from that disclosure.

The Court Proceedings

Royle pleaded guilty to the offences put to him. The case was heard at Maidstone Crown Court, which has jurisdiction over serious criminal matters in the county. The ten-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order imposed at sentencing places fresh restrictions on Royle’s behaviour upon his release from custody.

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Key Takeaways

• Sean Royle, 38, of Maidstone, was sentenced to three years and eight months in prison at Maidstone Crown Court after admitting sexual communication with a child, making indecent images of children, and repeated breaches of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order.
• Nearly 200 illicit images and videos were found on a hidden mobile phone seized when Royle was arrested on 29 November 2023; many depicted the sexual exploitation of unidentified children, according to Kent Police.
• A new ten-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order was imposed at sentencing, placing restrictions on Royle’s behaviour after his release from custody.

Reporting Child Sexual Exploitation

This case came to the attention of police following a disclosure made by a child to her parent. Parents and carers who become aware of suspicious or unwanted online contact involving a child can report it to Kent Police by calling 101, or 999 if a child is believed to be at immediate risk. The National Crime Agency’s CEOP Command operates a dedicated online reporting service for child sexual exploitation and abuse, accessible through its website. Sexual Harm Prevention Orders are a legal tool available to courts across England and Wales, and breaches of those orders are treated as criminal offences subject to prosecution.