In 2019, the Offender Database reported that Simon Whitfield, 58, of Highgate, Beverley, East Riding of Yorkshire, was sentenced at Hull Crown Court for downloading and distributing indecent images of children. Whitfield, a former teacher who previously used the name Simon Knowles, committed these new offences shortly after his release from a substantial prison sentence for similar crimes and voyeurism.
The court heard that a tip-off from Canadian authorities alerted Humberside Police to Whitfield’s online activity. Upon searching his home on October 19, 2017, officers seized a laptop containing six indecent photographs and evidence that he had used Skype to distribute Category C images. The paedophile was also found to have engaged in “highly prurient” chat log conversations discussing the abuse of nine-year-old children. These offences occurred while Whitfield was still on licence and subject to an indefinite Sexual Offences Prevention Order (SOPO).
Whitfield’s criminal history is extensive; in April 2013, at York Crown Court, he was jailed for four and a half years for voyeurism and child abuse offences. While working as a teacher in West Yorkshire, he used “spy cameras” hidden in pens and shirt buttons to secretly film children undressing for PE. He was caught after accidentally filming himself. Judge Simon Jack noted that while these latest offences were committed close to his previous release, the delay in bringing the case to court influenced the final sentence.
Despite the seriousness of his repeat offending, Whitfield avoided an immediate return to prison. He was sentenced to a two-year community order, which includes 20 days of rehabilitation and mandatory attendance on the Horizon programme, a specialist intervention designed to reduce the risk of reoffending in sexual offenders. He was also ordered to pay £500 in prosecution costs.
As a result of his history of predatory behaviour, Simon Whitfield remains on the Sex Offenders Register for life. He is subject to an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO), which replaces his previous SOPO and places strict, lifelong restrictions on his internet use and proximity to children. He is managed under Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA) in the East Riding of Yorkshire to safeguard the community.
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