Child Abuser Jailed For Further Five Years After Targeting Girl Through Childcare Website

A convicted child abuser has been handed a further five-year prison sentence after using a childcare website to gain access to a seven-year-old girl.

Andrew Evans, 40, from Crowborough, was already serving a sentence of more than 14 years for sexually abusing four other children when he was sentenced at Lewes Crown Court on Thursday.

The latest sentence will run consecutively, meaning Evans will serve it after his existing 14-year and four-month term.

The offences happened in March 2022, when Evans advertised himself as a childminder online and was hired by a woman to stay overnight at her home to care for her two young children.

At the time, Evans was on police bail in connection with a separate investigation and was prohibited from having unsupervised contact with children.

He was spotted in public with the children on March 20 by someone who knew about the restrictions and alerted police.

Evans was arrested the following day. Officers examining his mobile phone subsequently discovered indecent images of the seven-year-old girl, who later disclosed that Evans had sexually abused her.

He was charged with two counts of assault by penetration of a girl under 13 and causing a girl under 13 to engage in sexual activity without penetration.

Evans pleaded guilty at Lewes Crown Court on July 10.

He has now received five years in prison with an additional one-year extended licence period on one count. A 40-month sentence imposed for the second count will run concurrently.

A restraining order preventing Evans from contacting the victim or her family has also been imposed.

In a statement to the court, the girl's father described the lasting impact of the abuse on his daughter and their family.

He said: “The hardest part is knowing that my daughter has to live with what he did to her.

“The effect of his offences did not end when the abuse stopped. They continue every single day for my daughter, and they continue every single day for those of us who love her.”

Detective Constable Rebecca Wilde described Evans as a “prolific child abuser” who deliberately sought opportunities in childcare settings to groom and exploit children.

She said police acted quickly after discovering he had breached his bail conditions and added: “Evans is safely behind bars and, thanks to the bravery of his victims, will no longer have access to children.”

Police made a safeguarding referral to the childcare website following Evans's arrest. His profile was removed and the company fully co-operated with the investigation.