TWO sex pests, from Leigh and Westcliff, have been sectioned after continually approaching children and women.

Kirsten Champion and Awais Kazmi were given hospital orders at Basildon Crown Court.

Champion, 23, formerly of Prince Avenue, in Westcliff, had applied to have a Sexual Risk Order removed in March 2018.

But Southend’s sex offenders team strongly objected to the application.

He was then arrested last year when officers discovered he had breached the order.

All of his electronic devices were seized and communication with several young children from other counties was identified, with three being safeguarded as a result.

Champion was charged with attempting to cause or incite a boy under 13 to engage in sexual activity.

He was remanded in custody until his sentencing when he was transferred to a secure hospital under the Mental Health Act, and a mental health restriction order was also made. This means that Champion will only be eligible for release when he is deemed well enough to do so.

His release must also be agreed by the Secretary of State for Justice. He is now on the Sex Offenders Register for life and is subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order which will last for ten years.

Awais Kazmi, 32, formerly of Broomfield Avenue, in Leigh, was also made subject to a hospital order and a ten-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order was granted against him.

He too will be on the Sex Offenders Register for life.

Kazmi was also already a registered sex offender when he was investigated for, and subsequently charged with, four counts of sexual assault and 13 counts of breaching his existing order.

This result followed an investigation with several victims, women aged from their 20s to their 50s, who reported Kazmi had approached them in public, often using the guise of asking for directions, and touched them inappropriately.

He had previously been convicted and banned from approaching women he did not know following offences in 2015, 2017 and this year.

Det Insp David Browning, of the Essex Police south sex offenders team, said: “This was an excellent result and included a lot of hard work from detectives, members of police staff, and partners.

“Essex is a lot safer now that Champion and Kazmi are off the streets and are unable to access any devices.”

through which they might cause harm to vulnerable victims.”