KEVIN RODGERS FROM BRISTOL ST PAUL'S AND WELLINGTON BACK IN JAIL FOR PREDATORY BEHAVIOR TOWARD TEEN BOY

In a disturbing case that highlights ongoing concerns about child safety and the risks posed by known offenders, Kevin Rodgers, a 36-year-old man with a troubling history, has been sentenced to an additional three years in prison for breaching court orders designed to prevent him from contacting minors. The incident took place in Bristol, specifically involving locations in the city’s central area, including the St Paul’s district and nearby Wellington.

Rodgers’s latest incarceration stems from a series of troubling behaviors that began at a church in central Bristol, where he had been attending gatherings early last year. The court was informed that Rodgers had previously been convicted of indecent assault on a boy under 14 in 2002, a crime for which he served time in prison. Following this conviction, he was subjected to a Sexual Offences Prevention Order (SOPO) in 2006, which imposed 11 strict conditions aimed at preventing him from having any contact with children or engaging in activities that could lead to further offenses.

Despite these legal restrictions, Rodgers continued to pursue young boys, including a 14-year-old who attended the same church. Court proceedings revealed that Rodgers would follow the boy during church events, attempting to initiate conversations about topics such as sports, clothing, and on more than one occasion, homosexuality. The church’s minister, who was aware of Rodgers’s background, expressed concern to the boy’s mother about Rodgers’s behavior. The mother was warned about Rodgers’s history and was advised to be vigilant.

Rodgers’s pattern of inappropriate behavior persisted into August of the previous year, when he ceased attending the church. However, in January of the following year, he was seen at a nearby community centre attending a funeral. The boy and his mother were present at this event, and she observed Rodgers following her son into a toilet cubicle. She became alarmed and asked the church minister to investigate. The minister found Rodgers washing his hands in the restroom, and although nothing untoward was happening at that moment, Rodgers was promptly arrested for breaching his SOPO.

The young boy described Rodgers to police as “odd” and “clingy,” expressing that he felt uncomfortable because Rodgers seemed to be “seeking him out.” This behavior caused significant distress to the boy, who was clearly uneasy about Rodgers’s actions.

Rodgers’s predatory tendencies are not new. His behavior was previously exposed on a national platform through a BBC Panorama documentary that investigated conditions at a Bristol bail hostel. At that time, Rodgers was living at the hostel on Brigstocke Road in St Paul’s after being released from prison on license. The documentary showed him watching the toilets at the Mall Galleries shopping centre and wandering past children with a digital camera around his neck, raising serious concerns about his intentions.

Following his release, Rodgers was relocated to a flat in Wellington, Somerset. However, his freedom was short-lived, as he was recalled to prison after being caught loitering in a swimming pool changing room. His violations of the SOPO continued, with breaches in March 2007 and October 2008. In the first instance, he was arrested within 20 meters of a secondary school, and in the second, police found images of children and children’s clothing in his flat. These breaches resulted in additional jail terms—six months for the first and twelve months for the second.

During the recent court proceedings, Rodgers’s defense argued that he was aware of his issues and was actively seeking help. His lawyer, Martin Lanchester, stated that Rodgers had undergone treatment and completed courses aimed at addressing his problems. The defense also emphasized Rodgers’s religious commitments, asserting that his attendance at church was genuine and that there was no element of grooming involved in his interactions with the boy. Lanchester maintained that no physical contact or sexual activity occurred and that Rodgers’s entry into the toilet was not an attempt to commit any offense.

Judge David Ticehurst, presiding over the case, condemned Rodgers’s repeated violations of the court’s orders. He emphasized that the SOPO was put in place specifically to protect vulnerable children from individuals like Rodgers. The judge highlighted Rodgers’s willful and persistent disregard for these protections, which ultimately led to his current incarceration. Rodgers’s history of breaches, including previous jail terms, underscores the ongoing danger he poses to the community, particularly to children in Bristol, St Paul’s, and Wellington.

Rodgers’s case serves as a stark reminder of the importance of vigilant enforcement of court orders and the need for continued monitoring of individuals with a history of sexual offenses against minors. His actions have not only caused distress to the young victims but also raised serious concerns about the effectiveness of existing safeguards designed to prevent reoffending.