CAMBRIDGE SEX OFFENDER JAILED AFTER POLICE DISCOVERED THOUSANDS OF CHILD ABUSE IMAGES
A repeat sex offender has been jailed after police uncovered more than 2,000 indecent images of children hidden on his phone and cloud accounts during a routine compliance visit.Ben Sharpe, 31, from Cambridge, was visited by specialist MOSOVO officers at his home in the Huntingdon Road area on January 31 as part of ongoing monitoring linked to previous child abuse image offences.
But officers quickly became suspicious after Sharpe admitted deleting apps from his mobile phone before handing it over for inspection.
He was immediately arrested.
A forensic examination later uncovered a disturbing collection of 2,188 indecent images of children stored both on the device itself and within linked cloud storage accounts.
Investigators also discovered Sharpe had repeatedly breached the strict conditions of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order imposed after he was convicted for indecent image offences in 2021.
Police found Sharpe had: • Deleted apps before police entered the property • Uninstalled internet browsers • Failed to provide access to cloud storage accounts • Installed storage-cleaning software designed to wipe evidence Officers say the breaches showed deliberate attempts to conceal his online activity from authorities.
At Peterborough Crown Court on May 21, Sharpe, of Brooks Road, Cambridge, admitted multiple offences including: • Four counts of breaching a Sexual Harm Prevention Order • Three counts of making indecent photographs of children • Possessing a prohibited image of a child • Possessing an extreme pornographic image The 31-year-old was jailed for two years and six months.
He was also ordered to remain on the Sex Offenders Register for the next 10 years.
The case highlights how specialist offender management teams are increasingly using digital monitoring and compliance visits to detect offenders attempting to hide illegal material online.
—————————————————————————————————— A man has appeared in court after being charged with possessing sexual images of a corpse.
Ben Sharpe, 31, of Burlton Road, Cambridge, appeared at Cambridge Magistrates Court on Thursday (April 9).
The 31-year-old was charged with possessing an extreme pornographic image or images portraying acts which involved sexual interference with a corpse.
This relates to three images on or before January 31, 2025, in Cambridge.
Sharpe pleaded guilty to this charge, as well as other offences.
The other charges he faced and pleaded guilty to were: Making an indecent photograph/pseudo-photograph of a child relating to 962 category A images on/before January 31, 2025 in Cambridge; Making an indecent photograph/pseudo-photograph of a child relating to 388 category B images taken on/before January 31, 2025 in Cambridge; Making an indecent photograph/pseudo-photograph of a child relating to 838 category C images taken on/before January 31, 2025 in Cambridge; Possession of a prohibited image of a child taken on/before January 31, 2025; Four counts of breaching a sexual prevention harm disorder.
He will next appear at Cambridge Crown Court on May 21 for sentencing.
