July 2019 Sex offender sentenced to almost 10 years in prison A child sex offender from Fordcombe near Tunbridge Wells has been sentenced to almost 10 years in prison. Luke Stimson was convicted of repeatedly abusing a child and also sharing indecent images of his victim online. Stimson, aged 40, of Coopers Lane, Fordcombe, was arrested after allegations of abuse were initially reported to Kent Police in December 2017. An investigation led to his phone being seized and the device was found to contain a number of illegal images which had been shared through an instant messaging app. During police interview Stimson blamed a dependency on alcohol for his actions and referred to the abuse as ‘silly mistakes’. At Maidstone Crown Court he pleaded guilty to two counts of sexual assault and one of sexual assault by penetration. He also admitted counts of taking indecent images of a child and sharing indecent images of a child. The offences took place between 2014 and 2017. On Thursday 18 July 2019 Stimson was sentenced to a total of nine years and 10 months imprisonment. He was also made subject of sexual harm prevention order for ten years and added to the sex offenders’ registers indefinitely. Judge Philip Statman praised the courage shown by the victim in coming forward and also commended Detective Sergeant Lisa Featherstone, of the West Kent Vulnerable Investigation Team, who he said had left ‘no stone unturned’.