A “depraved” sex offender who urged a young girl to sexually abuse her two-month-old relative in exchange for £1,000 has been jailed.

Ben Murphy, 31, also approached two girls while they were playing on the swings at a Sittingbourne park and made indecent suggestions to them which led them to run away.

Murphy, of Raite Green, Sonora Fields, Sittingbourne, also fled the scene in February last year but was arrested two days later after police spotted him on CCTV.

He was charged with inciting a child to engage in sexual activity and remanded in custody before a court appearance.

Murphy had already been due to attend court to be sentenced for several sex offences involving children between January 2020 and March 2021.

During this earlier period, he had contacted five separate children who did not know him, on social media platforms. Murphy asked his victims to send images of themselves, some in their underwear and others carrying out sexual acts.

In one conversation he incited a child to abuse their two-month old relative, and offered to pay her £1,000.

‘Murphy is a depraved individual who poses a considerable risk to young children...’

Murphy also sent indecent images and videos of himself to the victims and asked for private calls so he could further engage in sexual abuse. On another occasion in February 2021, he approached a further child in a Sittingbourne park and asked them to carry out a sexual act. The child refused and fled the scene.

Murphy had been arrested for these earlier offences and had pleaded guilty at Maidstone Crown Court to six indictments of inciting a child to engage in sexual activity and four of possessing indecent images of children. Some of the images were of the most serious category.

As he was awaiting sentencing and subject to strict court bail conditions, he went on to commit the most recent offence when he attended the park near Balas Drive and Sonora Way, Sttingbourne, in February.

He pleaded not guilty to this later offence but was convicted on Friday, following a trial, to inciting a child to engage in sexual activity.

On Tuesday (August 13) he was sentenced to six years in prison, of which he will have to serve two thirds before he is eligible for parole.

On his release he will have to serve a further two years on licence. Murphy will also have to sign the sex offenders’ register and be subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for an indefinite period.

Detective Constable Deniz Aslan said: “Murphy is a depraved individual who poses a considerable risk to young children in person or online. He made vile suggestions and sent indecent images to his vulnerable victims who were very distressed by his actions.”

PC Nadine Stanton, who investigated the most recent incident said: “Murphy showed himself incapable of following restrictions imposed by the court and a prison sentence was the only possible outcome.

“We would like to commend the young victims and their parents who have supported our investigation throughout and assisted us to bring this predator to justice. I hope the prison sentence imposed on Murphy will allow them to start to move on from their ordeal.”