ALEC RIVERS SENTENCED IN FOLKESTONE FOR REPEATED BREACHES OF SEXUAL ORDERS
Alec Rivers, recently released from prison and believed to be in the Folkestone area, faced a judge after attempting to lure children with promises of attending high-profile football matches.Judge Mark Weekes delivered a stern and pointed speech during sentencing as Rivers, 49, bowed his head, sobbed, and shook in the dock.
Rivers was convicted of six breaches of his Sexual Harm Prevention Order, which prohibited him from being alone with anyone under 18.
The judge sentenced him to four years in prison and described him as a predatory paedophile with sinister behavior.
Judge Weekes stated, "You used your interest, alleged or real, in football to repeatedly breach the order made.
You remain a high risk — I do not doubt that you are a manipulative man." He criticized Rivers for trying to lure children away by exploiting his interest in football and commended the parents for standing firm against his advances.
Rivers, who was previously jailed in 2010 for sexually assaulting a minor, was subjected to the Sexual Offences Prevention Order designed to deter re-offending.
The order barred him from being alone or seeking to be alone with under-18s.
Despite this, he later violated the order by attempting to befriend a family and lure their children, leading to his re-arrest in 2018.
At Canterbury Crown Court on Wednesday, Rivers was found guilty of six breaches of the order and cleared of two other charges.
The court heard that his improper behavior had caused ongoing distress for the victims’ family, which included attempts to entice a child with promises of watching Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium.
The victim’s mother expressed suspicion of others after the trial, describing her feelings in a victim impact statement: "I feel suspicious of everyone following what happened.
This has been very traumatic for all of us, and now I worry about what might happen when Alec is released back into the community.
I feel sorry for others unaware of his convictions." Details of Rivers’ misconduct emerged last year during a routine police inspection, when he admitted to playing football with a child.
This confession prompted officers to investigate further, leading to reports from the child's family about his increasingly inappropriate behavior.
The child's mother described how Rivers would sometimes initiate conversations outside their home in 2015, which gradually became more frequent and intrusive, including inviting the children to play football with his own equipment.
"He would often ask to play football with our children, almost daily, and once invited my son to a football match in London, which I refused," she stated.
She recounted how Rivers became increasingly assertive and even aggressive when told no.
Her dread grew as Rivers started approaching more, making her hesitant to return home after school pick-ups.
Rivers, who was from Firs Lane in Folkestone, expressed remorse in a statement read out in court, saying, "I'm sorry I put the parents through this.
I should not have interacted with them.
I am generally sorry for the family." In mitigation, his lawyer emphasized his regret: "He is sorry, and he recognizes his mistake." He was convicted of repeatedly inviting a child to play football, to a London match, to view his shed, and to come inside his flat.
However, he was acquitted of charges related to inviting a child to a park and offering to babysit the children.
