Lewes: Sex Offender Jailed

A convicted paedophile has been jailed for four years for making indecent images of children.

Brian Rogers, 54, who had already served time in prison for sexual assaults on young children, pleaded guilty at Lewes Crown Court today to seven counts of making indecent images of children, Sussex Police said.

He also admitted failing to answer police bail and failing to comply with the requirements of his Registered Sex Offenders (RSO) order.

Rogers, who had no prior connection with Sussex, stayed in Brighton and Eastbourne after he was released from prison in 2011, having served the latest of three periods of imprisonment for sexual assaults on young children whose families he had befriended elsewhere in the UK, a police spokesman said.

During Rogers' supervision as a sex offender, he was found with material which indicated a sexual interest in children, police said.

A sexual offences prevention order (Sopo) was obtained while an investigation began into his activities, but Rogers failed to answer bail earlier this year, the force spokesman said.

Extensive inquiries were made to find Rogers and his details were circulated to every police force in the UK, and beyond via Interpol, as matter of standard procedure in such cases.

The spokesman said: "Although there was no evidence of immediate threat to the wider public, police believed that based on his previous history, and on information that had come to light as part of police inquiries in Brighton, that Rogers might try to befriend families of young girls and boys.''

"There was a concern that he might manipulate such relationships for his own advantage,'' he added.

Police released his description and photo in August and within 24 hours he had been spotted sleeping rough by a member of the public in Green Park, London.

The spokesman said there was no evidence that Rogers had carried out contact offending anywhere in the country and the images involved came from the internet and were not believed to be of local children.

Rogers was also given a six-year extended licence supervision requirement which will come into force when he is released from prison.

He is already a registered sex offender for life and subject of a Sopo until further notice, which severely restricts his access to children and computers, police said.

Detective Sergeant Paul Davison said: "We would like to thank the public for their response to the appeal.

"This case sends a message to other convicted offenders that they will be supervised and checked upon, and any suspicions will be followed up so that we can prevent further children becoming victims.''