Faversham man has been jailed for nine years after admitting 15 offences linked to child sexual abuse
A Faversham man has been jailed for nine years after admitting 15 offences linked to child sexual abuse.
Richard Cumberland was arrested by Kent Police in May 2017 and officers went on to find over 150 indecent videos or photos on electrical equipment he owned.
They also found he had attempted to arrange an inappropriate meeting with a child and distributed several indecent images of children through online chat rooms.
While under investigation, he also breached a Sexual Harm Prevention Order by contacting an undercover police officer who he believed was a teenage boy.
The 31-year-old, previously from Faversham but most recently of Powys in Wales, never met a child in person and was sentenced at Maidstone Crown Court on Tuesday 7 July 2020.
In addition to his custodial sentence, he will be subject to four years on an extended licence when he is released from prison.
Detective Constable Michelle James, Kent Police’s investigating officer for the case, said: ‘Cumberland has demonstrated he has a dangerous interest in young children and the evidence of this case shows he was prepared to carry out serious harm.
‘In addition to this, he sought out and actively shared images of young people being subjected to horrendous abuse. I am pleased that the evidence we presented the court was so strong that he pleaded guilty and he is now facing a substantial amount in prison, unable to cause further harm.’
