A man has been jailed for having a huge stash of child pornography and for breaching a sexual harm prevention order (SHPO) that was imposed after similar offences in the past.
Sussex Police said: “A 42-year-old man, from Mannings Heath, has been jailed for breaching a sexual harm prevention order and making indecent images of children.
“Mark Grindon, of Swallowfield Close, Mannings Heath, Horsham, has been jailed for five years and four months for multiple breaches of a sexual harm prevention order and making indecent images of children.
“The order had been imposed on Grindon in October 2016 when he was sentenced for six counts of making indecent images of children.
“It was later amended and the order was put in place indefinitely in December 2019 after he was convicted of further offences.
“Grindon was arrested in December 2023 during a vehicle stop following information of suspected further breaches and he was found to be in possession of a smartphone prohibited by the sexual harm prevention order.
“He was swiftly charged the next day with two counts of breaching a sexual harm prevention order and, at Crawley Magistrates’ Court, he was remanded in custody.
“He pleaded guilty at Lewes Crown Court and on Thursday 7 March 2024 he was sentenced to 20 months imprisonment.
“Officers proceeded to conduct a complex investigation into the digital devices seized and uncovered more than 1,400 indecent images of children and 11 social media accounts, created under the alias ‘Bob’ and ‘Ricard’.
“He was arrested in August 2025.
“During a search of an address in Mannings Heath, an additional smartphone, laptop, multiple SD cards and a TV streaming device were found and seized.
“He was charged with three counts of making an indecent photograph or pseudo-photograph of a child, 16 counts of breaching a sexual harm prevention order and two counts of failing to comply with sex offender register notification requirements on the same day.
“Grindon appeared the next day at Crawley Magistrates’ Court and he was remanded in custody.”
He appeared at Hove Crown Court on Monday 14 September 2026, charged with six breaches of a sexual harm prevention order and three counts of making indecent images of children.
He was also charged with failing to comply with the requirements to notify the police of certain details under the previous order.
He pleaded guilty to five breaches and elected to go on trial for one breach of the order, three counts of making indecent images of children and one count of failing to notify.
He was found guilty of the five offences on Friday 18 September and the judge, Recorder Tom Nicholson Pratt, jailed him for five years for all 10 offences.
At a further hearing at Crawley Magistrates’ Court on Monday 28 September, Grindon was jailed for a further four months for failing to comply with a court order which required him to provide all pins (personal identification numbers), passwords and patterns to his devices.
Detective Sergeant Melanie Pyle said: “The magnitude of Grindon’s offending and disregard for the harm he has caused cannot be underestimated.
“Each one of the many images in his possession depicts sexual abuse against a real child.
“I am pleased to see Grindon held accountable for his deplorable offences.”
