Worthing man sentenced over child sex offences

John Lelliott, 72, of Western Place, Worthing, was sentenced to a total of four and a half years imprisonment when he appeared at Lewes Crown Court on Thursday March 31.

He had pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing to three offences of causing or inciting sexual activity online, three offences of distribution of indecent images of children, three offences of making indecent images, one offence of possessing a prohibited image and one offence of possessing an extreme pornographic image.

He pleaded not guilty to a further offence, of attempted voyeurism by secret filming of a young girl and the prosecution did not proceed with that charge.

Lelliott will be a registered sex offender for life and was served with a Sexual Harm Prevention Order to last until further order of the court, severely restricting his use of the internet and his access to children.

The prosecution followed an intelligence-led investigation by the Paedophile online Investigation Unit of Sussex Police.

Detective Constable Helen Curtis said: “When we interviewed Lelliott, he admitted to a sexual obsession, mainly with young teenage girls, but also with young boys and children as young as two.

“We found evidence of extensive online exchange of some 3,000 indecent images including many of the most serious category, and of many online camera conversations.”

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