In 2019, the Offender Database reported that Edward Kent, then 31, of The Drove, Brighton, East Sussex, was spared an immediate prison sentence despite a “serious” and “disgraceful” campaign of indecent exposure. Kent targeted 38 girls over a two-year period, many of whom were aged between 12 and 17 and wearing school uniforms. The investigation by Sussex Police revealed that he frequently targeted victims in the Preston Park area while they were on their way home from school.
The court heard that Kent was eventually caught after a “quick-thinking” teenage girl filmed his behaviour on her phone in 2018. During his sentencing at Brighton Crown Court in March 2019, Judge Dawson emphasised the “disgraceful” nature of the offences, noting that his actions had left many young girls feeling “unhappy” and fearful of being out in public. The judge reported that Kent had already served two months on remand, intended as a “wake-up call.”
In 2019, Kent was handed a two-year community order, which included a requirement to complete a sex offender treatment programme to address his “sexual proclivities.” He was also ordered to perform 150 hours of unpaid work and to serve a three-month curfew. The judge emphasised that if Kent offended again, he would be sent to prison without question. To protect the public, he was also placed under a five-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO).
New Offences in Hove
Despite previous court warnings, it was reported in 2023 that Edward Kent had admitted to two further counts of exposure. These new “serious” incidents took place on 14 and 15 December 2022 at the Sackville Trading Estate in Hove, East Sussex. By pleading guilty to these latest offences, Kent has demonstrated a failure to amend his “unlawful sexual behaviour” despite the interventions provided by the probation service in 2019.
Ahead of his sentencing hearing in September 2023, Kent has been banned from entering the Sackville Trading Estate and remains a registered sex offender. He is managed under Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA) by Sussex Police, ensuring his behaviour in Brighton and Hove is strictly monitored. Any further breach of his conditions or new “disgraceful” acts will result in his immediate arrest and, as previously warned by the court, a significant custodial sentence.
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