Three Gillingham sex offenders jailed for breaching court orders
Men sentenced after failing to comply with Sexual Harm Prevention Orders
Three sex offenders from Gillingham have all been jailed within one week for breaching their Sexual Harm Prevention Orders (SHPOs).
Ben Horrobin, 40, was discovered to potentially be in possession of a phone he had not declared to police, prompting officers to attend his Fox Street home on 5th May 2026. Upon arrest, Horrobin attempted to dispose of the device by throwing it out of an open window. Subsequent investigations revealed around 5,000 indecent images of children, undeclared email addresses, and access to messaging sites and internet browsers with deleted usage history on the phone.
Court outcomes
Horrobin was later charged with making indecent images of children and breaching his SHPO. He was sentenced to two years and nine months behind bars at Maidstone Crown Court on 2nd October 2026.
Officers reviewing monitoring software noted suspicious activity on Ian Brown's phone. A manual phone check at his Paget Street home on 8th September revealed deleted messages and communication with a 12-year-old girl, breaching his preventative court order. Brown admitted to multiple SHPO breaches and was sentenced to one year and four months at Maidstone Crown Court on 5th October.
Lee Glendenning, 40, was found messaging an adult woman by monitoring software. After moving to Medway, officers visited his Franklin Road home on 21st July and discovered deleted messages, violating his SHPO conditions. Glendenning pleaded guilty to the breach and was jailed for one year at Maidstone Crown Court on 30th September.
Police response
Detective Sergeant Karen Caulfield emphasised the effectiveness of SHPOs in retaining control over sexual offenders post-sentence.
She said, “These three court outcomes highlight the effectiveness of SHPOs in retaining control of sexual offenders even after they have served their custodial sentences.”
DS Caulfield added, “Our officers have extensive powers to ensure the public is protected from individuals such as these and we are more than willing to use them.”
“We are satisfied these men, who have shown willing disregard of the conditions of their orders, are now facing the consequences of their actions,” DS Caulfield said.
All three men received extended sentences for previous convictions and their lack of compliance with SHPO requirements highlights the critical role of preventative court orders in protecting the public.