HOWARD DEAR FROM KENNINGTON SENTENCED FOR SEXUAL ASSAULT ON TEENAGE BOY IN MAIDSTONE

In a recent court ruling at Maidstone Crown Court, Howard Dear, a 55-year-old man residing on Bybrook Road in Kennington, was sentenced to 15 months in prison after being found guilty of sexually assaulting a teenage boy. The court heard that Dear’s actions were part of a pattern of predatory behavior, which raised significant concerns about his risk of reoffending in the future.

Prosecutor Allister Walker detailed how Dear had used a chat text service to communicate with young individuals, including the victim. The teenage boy, who was 16 years old at the time, had left his home after a conversation with Dear. Another boy informed him that Dear was on his way to pick him up, prompting the victim to leave his residence. Dear then drove to Lincoln, where he picked up the boy and brought him back to his house in Kennington in December of the previous year.

During the car journey, Dear inappropriately touched the teenager, specifically on his thigh. Upon arriving at Dear’s residence, the boy fell asleep on the settee. He later awoke to find Dear undoing his trousers and touching him inappropriately. The teenager, alarmed and distressed, managed to push Dear’s hand away and insisted on calling his mother for help. Despite Dear’s warning not to disclose his address, the boy did so, and his mother came to collect him.

When police officers later visited Dear’s home, he handed over magazines dating back to the 1960s that contained explicit images of children being abused by adults, which he described as “extreme pornography.” During police interviews, Dear admitted that he had been attracted to boys over the age of 14 but claimed he was no longer sexually active. He also confessed to possessing four indecent photographs of children and to the sexual assault of the teenage boy.

Howard Dear’s criminal history was also discussed during the proceedings. He has a long-standing record of convictions dating back to 1972. Notably, in December 1998, he was sentenced to four-and-a-half years in prison for indecency with boys, a sentence later reduced to three-and-a-half years after an appeal. Additionally, in November 2001, he served a four-month sentence at Canterbury Crown Court for similar offenses. As part of his criminal record, Dear was prohibited from working with children and was placed on the sex offenders’ register for a period of ten years.

Judge considered Dear a high risk of reoffending and emphasized the seriousness of his predatory behavior, which posed a significant threat to young people in the community. The court’s decision reflects the ongoing concern about individuals with such histories and their potential danger to society.