Bognor child abuser sentenced to six years

A Bognor man has been sentenced for sexual assaults on young boys and for internet child indecency offences

Martin Cleverly, 45, unemployed, of Glamis Street, Bognor Regis, appeared on bail at Chichester Crown Court on Friday 3 August, having pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing, and was sentenced to six years' imprisonment for a total of 26 offences.

Three offences were of unlawful sexual activity with a boy aged 14 in Bognor in 2009 and 2010, and a further seven concerned indecent assaults on two boys then aged under 14 in the Crowborough, East Sussex, area, between 1993 and 1995.

Five offences were the making of indecent images of children, and 11 were the distribution of such images. None of those indecent images offences involved physical offending and none of those images are believed to be of children in Sussex.

The prosecution resulted from an intelligence-led investigation by the Paeodophile On-Line Investigation Unit (POLIT) of Sussex Police. When officers entered Cleverly's home with a search warrant in November 2010 they found computers which contained evidence of the internet offences.They also found documents from which they traced the Bognor victim.

Other enquiries led to the Crowborough victims.

Detective Constable Chris Smith said: "We admired the way that all three were prepared to give evidence against him, but fortunately they did not have to do so because of his guilty pleas.

"We will always follow up allegations of sexual offending and physical abuse, no matter how long ago they are said to have happened.

"We spoke to many teenage boys in the Bognor area during this enquiry, but are still keen to hear from any others who knew Cleverly in that area before 2009 and who may have information that they wish to share with us. 

"He did use various aliases, so news of this case and publication of his photograph may jog memories. 

"They and their families can talk to us in confidence at any time, by calling Sussex Police on 101 and asking for extension 59262."