Westcliff: Man jailed for sex offences
Main article content
&w=1024&h=600&scale=both&mode=max)
A man has been jailed for over four years for multiple sexual offences and making indecent images of children following an investigation by a team of officers at Essex Police.
Alex Symeonides, of Westcliff Park Drive, Westcliff-on-Sea, appeared at Basildon Crown Court on Monday, 10 June where he was sentenced to four years and eight months.
An investigation into Symeonides was launched in October 2023 after officers from our Police Online Investigation Team (POLIT) received intelligence that the 20-year-old was using an internet connection to view indecent images of children.
He was arrested and during interview he admitted accessing indecent images of children.
As the investigation progressed, officers found a number of indecent images on his devices. They also discovered evidence of sexual assault offences.
Following this work Symeonides was charged with two counts of rape, one count of sexual assault and three counts of making indecent photographs of a child, and he pleaded guilty to all these charges at court.
Alongside his jail sentence Symeonides was issued with a Sexual Harm Prevention Order and placed on the Sex Offenders Register for life.
Detective Constable Matthew Wright, who led the investigation, said:
“Symeonides is a dangerous offender and Essex is a safer place with him behind bars.
"We are committed to protecting people from harm and will leave no stone unturned in our work to secure charges against predatory offenders.
"Our forensic and detailed work throughout this investigation revealed additional offending and with the evidence placed in front of him, Symeonides had no option but to admit his guilt.
"Essex is no place to hide for sexual offenders and those who abuse children.
"I hope this sentence helps those impacted by Symeonides’s crimes on their road to recovery.”
Third highest conviction rate
Last year, our Police Online Investigation Team (POLIT) made more than 600 arrests or suspect interviews for these offences and secured 424 charges – the most of any force anywhere in the UK.
In the last 12 months the team also solved 92 per cent of the 450 investigations they carried out.
Essex Police has the third highest conviction rate for sexual offences which make it to court, while last year we also safeguarded more than 2,500 children from sexual crimes.
Synergy Essex
Synergy Essex provides support and guidance for survivors of sexual and sexual abuse across Essex.
The Essex Rape Crisis Partnership is formed of three organisations:
- CARA (Centre for Action on Rape and Abuse) who cover mid and north Essex.
- SERICC (Rape and Sexual Abuse Specialist Service) who cover South and West Essex.
- SOS Rape Crisis who cover Southend, Castle Point and Rochford.
Survivors can self-refer and receive emotional support, specialist sexual violence and abuse counselling and or specialist advocacy services, no matter when the sexual violence or abuse occurred. In addition to this, they also offer support to survivor’s loved ones.
For more information about how to get support, visit the Synergy Essex website.
Victims' code
At Essex Police we put victims at the heart of everything we do. The Victims’ Code explains the rights that everyone can expect to receive as a victim of crime, and helps us define what we must do for all victims from their initial contact with our force until the conclusion of their case.
Find out more about the code and to understand the rights of a victim of crime, on our Support for victims and witnesses of crime page.
To report a crime, please use our digital 101 service. In an emergency call 999.