Dangerous child sex offender who 'bragged about being on the register' is jailed

A convicted child sex offender who bragged about being on the Sex Offenders Register has been jailed.

Lewis Parker, 23 of Westcliff Avenue, Westcliff, appeared at Basildon Crown Court on Monday where he was sentenced to more than four years.

Police attended Parker’s address in Westcliff on May 9 following intelligence that Parker had been accessing indecent images of children online.

He was arrested on suspicion of multiple offences. Devices, which Parker was prohibited from owning following a previous conviction, were seized for analysis.

This analysis showed that Parker had been engaging in conversations on "dark-web" chat rooms and discussing trading child pornography.

In one conversation, Parker bragged how he was “on the reg” meaning sex offenders register and appeared to brag that his previous convictions had no effect on him.

He was charged with three counts of making indecent photographs of a child, one count of possession of a prohibited image of a child, two counts of distributing an indecent photograph of a child, one count of possession of an extreme pornographic image, four counts of breach of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order and four counts of failure to comply with notification requirements on the Sexual Offenders Register.

PC Liam Rising, investigating officer in the case, said: “We received intelligence on 8 May 2024 that Parker had accessed indecent images of children online.

“POLIT acted quickly, arresting him the next day, and carrying out a thorough investigation into what he was viewing and sharing online.”

“The images and videos that Parker was accessing online were extremely disturbing and there is no doubt that he is a dangerous individual.

“POLIT will continue to act on all intelligence around online offences such as these to protect vulnerable children.”

On May 10, Parker pleaded guilty to all charges.

He appeared at Basildon Crown Court on Monday, July 1, where he was sentenced to four years and four months in prison.

He will also remain on the Sex Offenders Register for life and was issuing with a Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

Det Supt Natalia Ross added: “Our Police Online Investigation Team have achieved a 92 per cent solved rate in the past year and we were recently marked as the highest performing force in the country for these investigations.

“Offenders such as Parker who are on the Sex Offenders Register do not just fall under the radar and we will continue to act on intelligence which may suggest they are not complying with requirements.

“The work of the investigation team for the Lewis Parker case was outstanding and has stopped a dangerous man from offending.

“I commend all my officers who often have to review explicit and disturbing material but do so in order to keep vulnerable children safe.

"We ensure that their welfare is taken care of and have mental health nurses embedded into the team to ensure that they are looked after.”