RICHARD HUNT FROM BEXHILL SENTENCED FOR CHILD SEX OFFENCES INVOLVING ONLINE ABUSE AND WEBSITE IN BEXHILL

In December 2016, Richard Hunt, a 47-year-old resident of Collington Avenue in Bexhill, was sentenced to a lengthy prison term after being found guilty of a series of heinous child sex offences. The court proceedings took place at Lewes Crown Court, where Hunt appeared on Friday, December 2, having previously pleaded guilty to a total of 14 separate charges related to the exploitation and abuse of minors.

According to police reports, Hunt’s criminal activities included facilitating the creation and distribution of child sexual abuse images, inciting a penetrative sexual offence against a child, and encouraging the production of indecent images of minors. His criminal conduct extended to attempting to arrange a sexual offence involving a child, as well as engaging in money laundering activities connected to these illicit operations. Furthermore, Hunt was found to possess and distribute indecent images of children, including extreme adult content and prohibited images, which he kept on his electronic devices and online accounts.

The court sentenced Hunt to 13 years in prison, with an additional two-year extended licence supervision period following his release. This means that Hunt will not be eligible for parole consideration for at least eight years. In addition to his imprisonment, he has been ordered to register as a sex offender for life and has been issued a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO). This order imposes strict restrictions on his access to children and limits his use of computers and online platforms. Moreover, Hunt has been subjected to a Sex Offender Travel Order, which bans him from leaving the United Kingdom for a period of five years after his release from prison.

During the sentencing, Judge Paul Tain emphasized the severity of Hunt’s actions, stating, “It is absolutely clear there is truly significant risk posed by you to the public. These are the most repellent examples of degrading behaviour towards children that a judge could hope to see.”

The investigation leading to Hunt’s conviction was spearheaded by the Sussex Police’s Paedophile Online Investigation Team (POLIT). Detective Constable Martin Harmer, who led the case, explained that the inquiry was initiated after intelligence was obtained from a computer belonging to a suspect in the United States. This intelligence revealed that Hunt had exchanged indecent images of children with the American suspect. A search warrant was executed at Hunt’s residence in June 2012, resulting in his arrest and subsequent interview.

Forensic analysis of Hunt’s computer equipment and online accounts uncovered that he possessed more than 10,000 indecent images of children. The investigation also revealed that Hunt was actively exchanging these images with numerous individuals online. During these exchanges, Hunt engaged in extensive chat conversations in which he encouraged others to sexually abuse and photograph children they knew. One of the victims identified by the authorities was a German national, who was subjected to abuse for approximately ten years at the hands of a family friend.

Further disturbing details emerged as it was revealed that Hunt was responsible for operating a website dedicated to the sexual exploitation of this young girl. The site charged visitors for images of the girl, and Hunt managed the payment processing and administrative functions associated with the website. This case highlights the disturbing extent of Hunt’s involvement in online child exploitation and the serious legal consequences he now faces.