Peterborough paedophile headbutted officer who tried to seize his phone

Neil Bevan (55) was convicted of making indecent images of children in 2002 and 2011 and placed on the Sex Offenders Register until September 2020.

On a routine visit to his home in Maltby Close, Wittering, on February 9 an officer from the Public Protection Unit asked to inspect his mobile phone.

During the inspection he admitted he had been deleting WhatsApp messages.

When the officer went to seize the phone as evidence Bevan became angry and violent, pushing the officer to the ground and punching him.

He then bit him on the shoulder and headbutted him in the face before, with the help of a colleague, the officer managed to arrest him.

Today (Wednesday) at Peterborough Crown Court Bevan, now of no fixed abode, pleaded guilty to assault causing actual bodily harm and was sentenced to 22 months in prison.

DC Jim Howard said: “All registered sex offenders in our county are allocated a member of our PPU team to monitor them. Part of this includes carrying out unannounced visits at their home, accessing their electronic devices and speaking to them about their daily activity.

“As soon as we arrived at his address it was apparent he had something to hide. His actions quickly turned violent and I want to commend the officers involved for their ability to regain control of the situation without any serious injuries.”

Anyone who is concerned someone may have been convicted of a sex offence, and could be posing a risk to someone, can apply for disclosure information through Clare’s Law and Sarah’s Law.