In 2026, the Offender Database reported that Stephen Clark, then 73, of Luscombe Terrace, Dawlish, Devon, was handed an extended prison sentence. On Thursday, 29 January 2026, Clark, a retired South West Water worker, was jailed at Exeter Crown Court for a series of “reprehensible” and “disgusting” offences involving the exploitation of children.
The investigation established that Clark has a “chronic” sexual interest in prepubescent children. While under police monitoring for previous 2015 convictions, officers raided his home in Dawlish in 2024 and discovered a laptop “calculatingly” hidden down the side of his sofa. The device, which had not been registered as required by his Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO), contained 411 indecent images, including 147 of the most “vile” Category A variety featuring children as young as two years old.
Online Predation and Judicial Findings
The court reported that Clark had “persistently” engaged in “enthusiastic” online chats with other paedophiles, including a contact known as “Dirty Bernadette.” He admitted to inciting a seven-year-old girl to engage in sexual activity and attempted to arrange for her to be placed on a webcam. Furthermore, he “calculatingly” engaged in sexual communication with a 14-year-old girl and distributed 21 “sickening” movies. In his messages, Clark “reprehensibly” boasted about having sexually assaulted a child in real life.
Judge David Evans emphasised that Clark possesses an “online addiction and sexual interest in children.” The judge noted that the pensioner poses a “high risk of causing serious harm in the future.” Because of this “dangerous” status, the court determined that a standard sentence was insufficient to protect the public. The prosecution emphasised that Clark’s “vicious” disregard for his previous court orders made this “systematic” return to offending particularly “serious.”
Sentence and Statutory Requirements
For his “appalling” crimes in Dawlish, Stephen Clark was handed:
- Custodial Sentence: 40 months in immediate custody.
- Extended Licence: A five-year extension period (Extended Sentence).
- Parole: He must serve at least two-thirds of the 40 months before the Parole Board decides if he is safe to be released.
- Sex Offenders Register: Notification requirements remain in place for life.
- SHPO: A strict Sexual Harm Prevention Order remains in place indefinitely.
Monitoring and Public Protection
Clark is managed under Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA) by Devon and Cornwall Police. His history of “persistent” digital grooming, the possession of extreme imagery involving toddlers, and his “calculating” attempts to hide devices mean his status remains under “critical” scrutiny.
As a lifetime member of the Sex Offenders Register, Clark must comply with strict notification requirements regarding his address on Luscombe Terrace, Dawlish. Authorities state that his extended sentence is a “critical” tool to manage the “gravity” of his risk. Any breach of his registration conditions or his SHPO following any eventual release will result in his immediate return to Exeter Crown Court.
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