KEVIN NEAL FROM HASTINGS JAILED FOR CHILD PORNOGRAPHY OFFENSES IN LEWES

In a case that has shocked the local community of Hastings, Kevin Neal, a 38-year-old man residing on Nelson Road, was sentenced to eight months in prison after admitting to charges related to the possession and distribution of indecent images of children. The court proceedings revealed a disturbing pattern of behavior that led to Neal's arrest and subsequent conviction.

Neal's arrest was initiated after his sister, Kim Stewart, grew suspicious of his activities. She was informed by Neal that he had recently taken up a new job as an AOL chatroom monitor, a claim that raised her doubts when she contacted AOL directly and was told Neal was not employed by the company. Further concern arose when a package arrived at Neal's home containing several computer disks, which she decided to investigate further.

Upon examining the disks with the help of a friend, Kim Stewart discovered they contained explicit images involving children. This discovery prompted her to alert the authorities. A police search of Neal's residence was conducted, during which they seized his laptop. The digital evidence found on the device was alarming: it included 36 images depicting children as young as seven years old in explicit situations. Neal's online activities also extended beyond his personal computer, as it was revealed he had sent some of these images via email chatrooms to individuals in Cornwall and Surrey, including a man and a woman.

During the court proceedings at Lewes Crown Court, Judge Charles Kemp emphasized the severity of Neal's actions, stating that the nature of the offenses warranted a custodial sentence. Neal was subsequently sentenced to eight months in prison and was ordered to register as a sex offender for the next ten years. It was noted during the trial that Neal had no prior criminal record, which perhaps contributed to the length of his sentence, but the court made it clear that such offenses are taken very seriously due to their impact on victims and society as a whole.