TIMOTHY SMITH OF TUNBRIDGE WELLS JAILED FOR CHILD SEX OFFENCES
Timothy Smith, aged 42 and residing on Burslem Road in the Sherwood estate, concealed a dark and disturbing secret—a compulsion for children so intense it led him to travel across the globe.By day, he was a familiar face in the community, working as a security guard at one of Tunbridge Wells' busiest supermarkets.
By night, he engaged in activities as the self-proclaimed leader of a ghost-hunting group in the town, known as the Supernatural and Paranormal Investigation Team, or Spit.
During police interviews, Smith chillingly revealed that his attraction to children was a personal obsession, claiming, “It was, he told police, his thing.” In November 2017, Smith admitted to committing 16 child sex offences.
He was subsequently sentenced at Maidstone Crown Court to 14 years in prison, with a minimum term of 10 years.
He confessed to all charges, which included possession of 37,000 images of child abuse and nearly two-and-a-half days' worth of illicit videos.
Additionally, he admitted to sexually assaulting a child under the age of five during a trip to the Philippines in 2015.
Former colleagues at Tesco on Grosvenor Road, where Smith worked as a security guard, expressed their disdain for him.
One described him as "The Fat Nonce With The Mail Order Bride,” adding, “He was very touchy-feely and made my skin crawl,” although they clarified there were no formal complaints filed with management.
Another colleague recounted, “He'd always talk to small children in pushchairs and pick up kids who were crying.
He was very hands on.” A local shopper who had seen Smith interact with children expressed her horror upon discovering his true nature, saying, “I don't believe in hell,” emphasizing her shock at a man who had comforted her children multiple times.
Outside his work life, Smith pursued his interest in the paranormal by running a local ghost-hunting group based in Tunbridge Wells.
He frequently posted on social media offering free investigations and claimed to have experienced ghost sightings himself.
In a 2014 interview with the Kent and Sussex Courier, he stated, “I don’t believe in heaven and hell, but I do think we all have electromagnetic energy flowing through us which stays in the atmosphere after we die—call it the spirit if you like—which some people can tune into more easily than others.
You have to make up your own mind, not take anyone else's word for it.” The group has since distanced itself from Smith.
A statement on its Facebook page read: “We are sorry to do this but we feel in the paranormal that you should know about what we seen in the paper about Tim.
We are in shock and sick what he has done so it’s up to you if you want to take yourself off his group.” Detective Constable Mark Bennett of Kent Police’s Paedophile Online Investigation Team commented on Smith’s conviction, saying, “The conviction of Timothy Smith is another important step towards making Kent a safer place.
The offences Smith committed are a stark reminder that behind every image is a real tale of abuse and suffering.
I am glad he has at least owned up to his crimes and will now face the consequences for his deplorable actions.” As a result of his crimes, Smith has been placed on the sex offenders’ register for life.
