Luton paedophile jailed after blaming ‘dead friend' for downloading child abuse images

A registered Luton sex offender who downloaded indecent images of children and blamed his ‘dead friend’ for committing the crimes has been sent to prison for three and a half years.

Raj Brett, 39, was found guilty of breaching a sexual harm prevention order after he was found to have unauthorised electronic devices and indecent images of children.

Brett had been subject to the order which banned him from owning devices used to access the internet without permission from the police. But he had become increasingly uncooperative and aggressive towards staff from Bedfordshire Police’s Offender Management Unit (OMU) and investigators became concerned he would soon reoffend.

Over six months investigators tried to engage with Brett who had become “completely unresponsive to attempts to contact him”. Police located Brett in Suffolk and he was arrested for an additional breach of his notification order.

During a routine visit in November 2020, Brett, of High Town, Luton, refused them entry, raising suspicions among OMU staff. After obtaining a warrant, officers forced entry into the property and found a laptop and phone. Neither had been declared by Brett.

A forensic examination of the laptop revealed two indecent images of children and evidence that Brett had tried to cover his tracks by using multiple hard drives and software to clear his internet history.

During police questioning, Brett laughed when confronted about the images found and claimed one of the hard drives was left at his home two days ago by a friend. When questioned further about his friend, Brett claimed he had since died.

Brett, who refused to attend the hearing, was jailed for three and a half years at Luton Crown Court yesterday (February 15). He will also remain on the sex offenders register and be subject to a sexual harm prevention order when released.

Investigating officer Deborah Simpson said: “It is clear that Brett has absolutely no regard for the police, nor the court and the measures put in place to prevent his vile reoffending.

“He is a persistent sex offender who consistently sought to operate in the shadows. Brett no doubt would have continued to access indecent content for his own disturbing sexual gratification.

“I would like to thank the court for imposing a custodial sentence, which I hope sends a strong message to those that refuse to adhere to strict orders that aim to keep our community safe.”