October 2014
Rochester man convicted of on-line sex offences
A man has been convicted of masquerading as a woman on the internet and encouraging young boys to carry out sexual acts via webcams.
Kevin Ford, 26, of Rose Street in Rochester, was convicted after a trial at Maidstone Crown Court on October 2.
In August 2012 police received two reports from parents of teenage boys who had discovered that their sons had been speaking on Facebook and Skype with a woman going under the name of ‘Sarah Sawyer’.
The parent noticed that ‘Sawyer’ was only Facebook friends with young boys, and then found an email asking their son to carry out sexual acts via webcam.
Investigation by officers from Kent Police’s paedophile and online investigation team identified Ford as a suspect and he was arrested on August 30.
Through material seized by officers, they were also able to identify and speak with additional victims.
A total of 52 male victims aged between 12 to 17 were spoken to, and 21 were willing to provide evidence.
Ford was later charged with counts of causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity.
Det Sgt David Shipley said: “Despite a massive amount of evidence against him Kevin Ford continued to deny responsibility, never offering a single explanation of who else could have left all this evidence across the multitude of items belonging to him or that he had used. By refusing to accept responsibility he has left countless victims and their families in limbo, waiting to see if justice would be done. It demonstrates a very real lack of insight into the distress that he has caused, and shows that there is no remorse for his actions.
“Online child sexual exploitation can be every bit as serious as that which occurs offline; it targets those who are the most vulnerable in ways that can have long lasting effects. Kevin Ford has been found guilty on overwhelming evidence and now needs to face the consequences of his actions. I would like to pay tribute to all of the victims that we identified, and the support that their families have provided in what must have been a very difficult period of time. I hope this conviction brings closure. To those that continue to use the internet to sexually exploit children, I say this – stop what you are doing and get help. Your actions are damaging to children and Kent Police will work tirelessly to bring you to justice and protect the most vulnerable in our society.”
Ford will be sentenced on November 6.
