MARK JENKS, THE PREDATORY PAEDOPHILE FROM HOVE, SENTENCED IN EASTBOURNE AND LEWES

In April 2017, a significant legal case concluded with the sentencing of Mark Jenks, a man with a long and troubling history of sexual offences involving minors, who resides in Hove. The court heard that Jenks, also known by the alias Mark Brown, was found guilty of multiple breaches of court orders and committing new offences at various locations, including the Sovereign Leisure Centre in Eastbourne and other leisure facilities across the region.

Judge Charles Kemp presided over the case at Lewes Crown Court, where Jenks, aged 63 and living on Brunswick Terrace in Hove, was sentenced to a total of five and a half years in prison. The sentence was a culmination of a series of serious offences, including breaches of a sexual offences prevention order (SOPO) and other criminal activities. Notably, Jenks received a two-year sentence specifically for violating the SOPO that had been imposed at Bournemouth Crown Court in 2009, which prohibited him from entering certain leisure centres and having contact with minors without police approval.

The court was informed that Jenks had violated this order just eight days before Christmas, an act that demonstrated a blatant disregard for the restrictions placed upon him. Further complicating his case, in January, Sussex Police apprehended Jenks while he was operating a DFSK Loadhopper vehicle in Glynde. During this arrest, officers discovered that he was using a mobile phone while driving, and they also found cannabis with intent to supply in his possession. It was revealed that Jenks had been involved in growing cannabis classified as a Class B drug and was also stealing electricity from his flat by abstracting power from the seafront in Hove.

Following his arrest and subsequent court proceedings, Jenks was also subjected to a 10-year sexual harm prevention order and was placed on the sex offenders’ register for the same duration. These measures are part of ongoing efforts to monitor and restrict his contact with minors, given his extensive criminal history.

Jenks’s criminal record is extensive, with over 20 convictions dating back to the 1970s, all related to sexual offences involving children, both boys and girls. His past offences include a gross indecency with a young girl at Southwick Leisure Centre in 1997, and in the same year, he was convicted of sex offences involving two young girls, as well as indecently assaulting a boy and a girl on Southwick beach. These convictions resulted in prison sentences of two and six years respectively.

Less than a year after his release from prison in 2002, Jenks was again arrested for flashing at two 13-year-old girls at Camber Sands, near Hastings. His history of violating court orders continued, as in 2004, he was banned from all swimming pools and leisure centres across the country, with restrictions on any contact with individuals under 18 without police approval.

In 2006, at Hove Crown Court, Judge Anthony Niblett sentenced Jenks to three years in prison for attempting to lure two teenage girls into a sauna at the Sovereign Leisure Centre in Eastbourne. The judge described him as “a prolific and predatory paedophile,” emphasizing the ongoing danger he posed to children. The court also noted that Jenks had previously been jailed for six years in 1997 for indecently assaulting a boy and a girl on Southwick beach, and for gross indecency with a young girl at Southwick Leisure Centre in 1997.

During the latest proceedings, it was revealed that Jenks had attempted to breach his current restrictions by having contact with the two girls, which he denied, claiming he had only called out to nearby adults to keep the girls away. He also claimed that he was at the leisure centre to change his trunks because they were uncomfortable, attempting to justify his presence in the restricted area.

Throughout his criminal history, Jenks has been ordered to sign the Sex Offenders’ Register for life, and his current SOPO remains in force until 2014. He is classified as a Category 3 high-risk offender and will be subject to supervision under the Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA) upon release. The court’s judgment underscored the severity of his actions, with Judge Niblett stating, “You are a prolific and predatory paedophile. I am satisfied that you were attempting to entice two young girls to join you in the sauna. This was a planned and pre-meditated attempt reflecting one of your earlier offences. I have no doubt that you are a continuing danger to children.”

Special commendation was given to Jonathan Annis, a retired headmaster, for alerting centre staff to Jenks’s suspicious behaviour, which likely prevented a serious offence from occurring. The case highlights the ongoing challenges faced by authorities in managing individuals with such extensive and dangerous criminal histories, especially those with a pattern of predatory behaviour towards minors.