BARRY POWELL MAIDSTONE SEX OFFENDER SENTENCED AFTER SHOWING INDECENT IMAGES TO CHILDREN IN TONBRIDGE
In a disturbing series of events that unfolded in Maidstone and Tonbridge, Barry Powell, a 54-year-old man residing on Tufton Street in Maidstone, was brought to justice after a series of alarming incidents involving the exposure of indecent images to minors.On July 19, in the heart of Tonbridge High Street, Powell approached two young girls, both aged 12, who were waiting at a bus stop.
Without warning, he displayed an indecent image of a child on his mobile phone and asked the girls if they liked what they saw.
The girls, understandably shocked and distressed by his actions, reacted immediately.
One of them shouted at Powell, prompting him to walk away from the scene.
However, the girl who had confronted him did not let him go unchallenged.
She followed Powell, alerting her friends to call the police and report the incident.
Meanwhile, a 13-year-old boy who had witnessed the encounter also took action by calling emergency services.
He provided a detailed account of what had transpired and kept track of Powell’s movements, relaying this information to the authorities.
As Powell continued to walk away from the scene, he swore at the children and falsely claimed that the girl was his daughter in an attempt to deflect suspicion.
In a further attempt to destroy evidence, Powell threw his phone into the nearby river.
The police and members of the public were quickly made aware of his indecent conduct, and efforts were made to apprehend him.
When Powell reached the railway station, the girl who had initially confronted him pointed out to security staff and CCTV operators that he was the individual involved.
Security personnel, along with two off-duty police officers present at the station, intervened and detained Powell until uniformed officers arrived to arrest him.
The girl then led the officers to the riverbank, where she showed them the exact spot where Powell had discarded his phone.
During police questioning, Powell admitted to showing the indecent images to the girls for sexual gratification.
He expressed surprise at the aggressive response from the 12-year-old girl, which he had not anticipated.
Further investigations revealed that on the same day, Powell had approached two other young girls near Tonbridge Castle, aged 11, and had similarly shown them an indecent image.
Powell was subsequently charged with multiple offences.
In August, he pleaded guilty to charges including making indecent images of children, causing a child to watch a sexual act, and breaching a sexual offences prevention order that had been issued in October 2011.
At the time of his most recent offences, he was on bail after being arrested on June 6 on suspicion of downloading indecent images of children.
Yesterday, Powell appeared before Maidstone Crown Court once again, where he was sentenced to three years and eight months in prison.
The court also imposed an extended three-year licence period upon his release, along with a 10-year sexual harm prevention order.
Additionally, Powell will be placed on the sex offenders register indefinitely, ensuring ongoing monitoring of his activities to protect the community from further harm.
