Sittingbourne sex offender jailed after targeting children

A Swale sex offender who targeted children online and in his home town has been jailed.

On 20 February 2024, Ben Murphy went to a park in Sittingbourne and approached two children who were playing on the swings.

Murphy made an indecent suggestion to them and they told him to go away. He ran from the scene while the distressed children fled the park and informed their parents.

The incident was reported to Kent Police and investigators examined CCTV in the area. A local officer recognised Murphy in some of the footage and he was arrested two days later.

Murphy, of Raite Green, Sittingbourne, was charged with inciting a child to engage in a sexual act and was remanded pending a court appearance.

Previous further offences

At the time of this offence, Murphy had already been due to attend court to be sentenced for multiple 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 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 these 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 local park in February 2024.

He pleaded not guilty to this later offence and was convicted following a trial on 9 August, to inciting a child to engage in sexual activity.

Sentenced

On Tuesday 13 August, the 31-year-old was sentenced to six years’ imprisonment 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.’