Havering Police Investigation Sees Sex Offender arrested in Australia.

A thorough and detailed investigation by East Area police officers into a local sex offender has led to Australian Police identifying another suspect and safeguarding children overseas.

 Sean Clark, 34 of Romford, pleaded guilty at Snaresbrook Crown Court on 5 June to attempting to engage in sexual communications with a child and possession of indecent images of children.  He was jailed for a year and given an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

 Clark was arrested on 28 March by officers acting on information about his activities, that he was communicating with a child and had indecent images of a child. His devices were promptly examined while he was in custody.

 Investigating officers had the deeply unpleasant job of viewing and grading the images on the device, which revealed a victim as far afield as Australia.  Via Interpol, the team alerted police in Australia to a suspect in their jurisdiction.

 Clark was charged and appeared before Thames Magistrates’ Court the following day. 

Police officers Adelaide were able to identify a previously unknown offender.  On 24 June, the Australian Federal Police Western Command Joint Anti-Child Exploitation Team executed a warrant. A man, 26 was arrested and has been subsequently charged with 1 x Possess Child Abuse Material contrary to section 474.22A of the Criminal Code (Cth); and 6 x Transmit Child Abuse Material contrary to section 474.22(1) of the Criminal Code (Cth).

 Detective Inspector Gemma Cole, leading East Area’s Operation Jigsaw unit, said:  “This was a fantastic piece of proactive work from my Operation Jigsaw officers. They not only ensured a registered sex offender was brought to justice and correctly monitored to protect the public, they also urgently acted to alert Australian Police to the further offences discovered on the Clark’s device.

“This has led to the successful arrest and charge of a previously unknown offender for multiple sexual offences in Australia, and safeguarded overseas victims. This demonstrates the impact my team have had in protecting children not just locally but globally and I am immensely proud of them”.

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