In 2019, the Offender Database reported that Joshua Foster, then 26, was residing in a high-risk hostel for “dangerous sex offenders” in Waterlooville, Hampshire. Foster, a convicted paedophile, was placed in the facility—located just 500 meters from Purbrook Infant School—following his release from prison and a subsequent breach of his Sexual Offences Prevention Order (SOPO) in 2017.
The court heard that Foster was then 18 when he was convicted at Dorchester Crown Court in 2011 for the rape of a seven-year-old girl. The jury watched a harrowing recorded police interview where the young victim used dolls to demonstrate how Foster had forced her to perform a sex act, describing the ordeal as a “gross secret.” She told officers, “I didn’t want to do it, but he just forced me.” Foster was also found guilty of inciting the same child to engage in sexual activity after he exposed himself to her during a “dare game,” an act she courageously refused.
During the 2011 trial, Judge Jarvis described the offences as a profound violation of a young child’s innocence. Foster was sentenced to a total of nine years in prison (with a concurrent six-year term for the incitement charge). However, due to his persistent risk and failure to comply with court-ordered restrictions upon his initial release, he was returned to custody and eventually managed within the hostel system under strict supervision.
As a result of his conviction for the rape of a child under 13, Joshua Foster is on the Sex Offenders Register for life. He is managed under the highest level of Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA) in Hampshire. This involves intensive, permanent monitoring by Hampshire Constabulary and the National Probation Service.
While Foster resides in the Waterlooville hostel, he is subject to a lifelong Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO). This order includes legally enforceable conditions that prohibit him from having unsupervised contact with children and restrict his movements near schools or playgrounds. Any violation of these terms results in immediate arrest and return to prison.
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