STEPHEN AGATE SENTENCED AGAIN IN WORTHING FOR BREACHES AND PREVIOUS OFFENSES

A man previously jailed for sexual offenses against a young girl has been reimprisoned after it was revealed he was in contact with a single mother and her young daughters in Worthing. Stephen Agate, 37, unemployed and residing on Wordsworth Road in Worthing, received a three-year prison sentence at Lewes Crown Court on Tuesday, April 24. He had earlier pleaded guilty to violating a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO), which severely restricts any unsupervised or approved access to minors, and to breaching a lifelong requirement to notify police of his address as a Registered Sex Offender.

Police discovered that Agate was associating with a single mother who had young daughters within just four months of his release on a supervision licence. Agate's criminal history includes a previous four-year imprisonment sentence handed down in July 2015 after he pleaded guilty to encouraging an eight-year-old girl, known to him, to engage in sexual activity. At that time, he was living in Burgess Hill and had visited the girl’s home, where he knew her family, and committed multiple sexual offenses when he managed to be alone with her.

When Agate was sentenced in July 2015, he was also issued an indefinite SHPO and registered as a sex offender for life.

PC Matt Andrews from the West Sussex VISOR (Violent and Sexual Offender) Unit explained: ‘Agate was released from prison on licence in July last year and was staying at an address in Worthing that was approved by Probation. In November, he met a local mother and began a relationship with her, which led to him staying at her address. However, his unexplained absence from his approved residence prompted quick action, and our investigations quickly identified his whereabouts. He was immediately re-arrested and returned to prison, and additional charges were brought against him.’

Andrews added: ‘The mother was unaware of Agate’s criminal history, which involved seeking out a young girl he befriended in very similar circumstances. This investigation, conducted in partnership with the National Probation Service, highlights the importance of monitoring and supervising sex offenders within the community to ensure public safety, especially for vulnerable adults and children.’