Chatham man Ben Champion jailed for having 18 indecent pictures of children
15:26, 26 March 2020
updated: 08:27, 27 March 2020
A man who has been described as a "risk to the public" has been locked up for possessing indecent images of children.
Ben Champion, of High Street, Chatham, was sentenced to three years and four months after breaching his sexual harm prevention order.
The 27-year-old was given the order in 2017, however, during their inspections officers found he breached its conditions a number of times between October and January.
This included lying about having a mobile phone with access to the internet on and owning 18 indecent images on that device.
Champion also failed to declare several changes to his address, as well as opening a new bank account.
He was sentenced on Monday at Maidstone Crown Court.
"Champion undoubtedly presents a high risk to the public."
Investigating officer, PC Jacqueline Little, said: "Protecting children from harm is a priority for Kent Police and Champion undoubtedly presents a high risk to the public.
"When coupled with his deceitful nature, there is a clear necessity for his imprisonment, and I hope he uses his time in prison to rehabilitate."
A spokesman for the NSPCC said: “At present offenders like Champion are able to exploit the online world to obtain or share indecent images of children, some of whom may have been subjected to unthinkable exploitation.
“It is vital that big tech companies help tackle this problem by taking more responsibility for safeguarding children online.”
