Man sentenced for sexual offences in West Sussex

A man who exposed himself to the public through the window of a property, and who sexually abused a young girl known to him has been jailed.

Reginald Chan, 36, was reported by concerned parents who were taking their children to a nearby primary school.

The reports prompted a complex investigation into his behaviour, with extensive searches and investigations into his electronic and computer devices from his address in Billingshurst.

Through the investigation, it was further revealed Chan had sexually assaulted a young girl known to him.

The girl, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, has received support from specially trained officers.

At Lewes Crown Court on 22 July, Chan appeared for sentencing after admitting three counts of sexual assault on a child under the age of 13, three counts of possessing indecent images of children, one count of possessing prohibited images, one count of possessing extreme pornography, one count of voyeurism, and 14 counts of breaching a sexual risk order.

He was found guilty at trial in September 2025 of three counts of exposure.

Chan, formerly of Carpenters, Billingshurst, was jailed for five and a half years, with an additional two years added to his licence period as part of an extended sentence. The court also imposed a Sexual Harm Prevention Order indefinitely and he is now a registered sex offender.

The court was told how police received reports about a man appearing without clothing in a window of an address overlooking the primary school in early November 2022.

Chan was arrested, and officers completed a search of the address.

He had been living in squalid conditions, and officers had to sift through belongings to find and seize more than 50 electronic and computer devices.

On those devices they found child sexual abuse images, extreme pornography, prohibited images, and recordings which showed historic offences against the young victim.

When officers re-arrested him, they found him in possession of further devices, in breach of a Sexual Risk Order which prohibited him from possessing electronic devices.

Following the case Detective Chief Inspector Kay Hutchings said: “This has been a complex investigation after concerns were raised about Chan’s behaviour.

“We take reports of sexual offending extremely seriously and after his initial arrest in 2022, Chan was subject to strict bail conditions and did not have access to children.

“Anyone who has information or concerns of further offences committed by Chan is urged to report them to Sussex Police, quoting Operation Colwell.

“Chan has now been convicted and is serving a custodial sentence. He has also been made the subject of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order which will prevent him having access to children and also restricts his access to computers and electronic devices without supervision.”

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