Paedophile Lewis Mortimer locked up for five years over vast cache of child abuse images and grooming manual
Serial Offender Caught Red-Handed
Lewis Mortimer, 42, from Sittingbourne, has been jailed for five years after police found him hoarding a huge stash of child abuse material — including a sick paedophile manual.
Mortimer wasn’t a first-time offender. With a string of previous child sex convictions, he was already banned from unsupervised internet use. Court orders made him notify police about any devices he owned — phones, computers, usernames, bank cards, and passports. Yet Mortimer flagrantly broke these rules.
Disguised as Child Photographer to Groom Victims
Back in December 2019, Mortimer contacted a woman online, pretending to be a photographer who worked with kids, a Kent Police spokesperson revealed. Months later, a second woman alerted police after Mortimer sent her horrific images of child abuse.
The sick predator was arrested on April 1, 2020. Police swooped on his home and seized several devices, including a tablet cunningly hidden in the base of a divan bed.
Evidence of Horrific Abuse and Grooming Found on Devices
Forensic exams uncovered a phone packed with indecent images and pages from the disturbing grooming manual instructing paedophiles how to exploit victims. The tablet concealed in the bed held over 23,000 images — many in the most extreme category.
Long List of Charges and Lifelong Punishment
At Maidstone Crown Court, Mortimer pleaded guilty to multiple offences: three counts of distributing indecent images, four counts of possessing them, possession of the paedophile manual, breaking notification rules ten times, and breaching a sexual offence prevention order seven times.
On February 10, 2023, he was sentenced to five years behind bars with a two-year licence extension. Mortimer will remain on the sex offenders register for life.
“Mortimer was subjected to strict measures designed to reduce the risk of him reoffending,” said DS Vicky Whitmill from the Offender Management Unit.
“He has failed to comply and clearly sought out illegal, harmful images depicting horrific abuse. This material comes from real victims who have suffered appalling harm. Mortimer has shown he doesn’t grasp the severity of his crimes. People like him must face justice, and we will do all we can to make sure they do.”
