Convicted sex offender handed prison sentence

A convicted sex offender has been given jail time after accessing indecent images of children.

Steven Hawkes, aged 43, of Basford, Stoke-on-Trent, was arrested in February after officers who were visiting him to interview him about other offences, discovered the images on a mobile phone.

The mobile phone was seized and Hawkes was later charged with six counts of making indecent images of children and two counts of possession of extreme pornography.

Hawkes had previously been convicted of similar offences in 2023 and had been handed a suspended sentence.

However, at Stoke-on-Trent  Crown Court on 1 August, the judge sent him to prison for two years and eight months after Hawkes pleaded guilty to the offences.

Speaking following sentencing, Detective Constable Nathalie Connelly of the sex offender management team, who arrested Hawkes said: “Hawkes is a prolific offender who blatantly ignored court orders and continued to access horrific indecent images of children.

“I’m pleased that the judge saw fit to send Hawkes to prison for his offending and hope this reassures the community that we continue to do all we can to ensure sex offenders are kept off our streets.”

If you have been affected by any type of sexual crime and would like to talk to someone about it, visit: How to report rape, sexual assault or other sexual offences | Staffordshire Police.