RICHARD WHITE CAUGHT IN CRAWLEY TRYING TO MEET TEENAGE GIRL FROM STORRINGTON

In July 2021, a man from Storrington was sentenced to prison after attempting to meet a teenage girl in Crawley for sexual purposes. Richard White, aged 44 and unemployed, residing in Timberlands, Storrington, was handed a 26-month jail term following a thorough investigation conducted by the Sussex Police Paedophile Online Investigation Team (POLIT).

The case emerged from an intelligence-led operation that uncovered White's intentions to meet what he believed was a schoolgirl he had been communicating with online. The court proceedings revealed that White had traveled from his home in Storrington to Crawley with the explicit aim of engaging in sexual activity with the girl.

White's communications devices were confiscated when officers apprehended him in a car park in December 2019. The evidence collected from these devices played a crucial role in building the case against him. During the legal process, White pleaded guilty at a prior hearing to attempting to arrange a child sexual offence, which led to his sentencing at Lewes Crown Court on Thursday, July 1.

As part of his sentence, White will be required to register as a sex offender for a period of ten years. Additionally, he was issued a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) that also lasts for ten years. This order imposes strict restrictions on his access to children and computers, aiming to prevent any further offenses and protect potential victims from harm. The case underscores the ongoing efforts of law enforcement agencies in Sussex to combat online child exploitation and bring offenders to justice.