ALMOST 700 paedophiles from Sussex contacted a charity for help to stop them viewing explicit images of children.

Offenders regretting their own behaviour as well as those concerned about loved ones contacted Stop It Now, a sexual abuse helpline run by child protection charity the Lucy Faithfull Foundation.

The charity found 414 people from East Sussex and 283 from West Sussex contacted them between March 2017 and February 2018.

The charity released the figures today showing a ten per cent increase on the previous year – and said they reflected a rise in offending rates across the country.

One offender who contacted the charity helpline said: “They helped me understand my behaviour better. I found out what triggers I have to offend and what sort of things might be missing in my life that could be pushing me to do things I wouldn’t normally want to do.

“Understanding that path is very important to choosing the right measures to put in place to never go there again.”

The charity’s research found many reasons why people access, download and share indecent images.

These include a failure to understand that all indecent images of children are illegal and lack of awareness of the harm caused to the children.

Tom Squire, clinical manager at The Lucy Faithfull Foundation, said: “Stop it Now has worked with hundreds of men arrested for viewing sexual images of children.

“For many, being arrested was a real wake-up call.

“Many knew what they were doing was wrong, but had little idea about how to stop.

“That’s where our work comes in.

“The first thing we do is to make sure these men understand the harm they have caused the children in these images, and also the serious consequences for them and their families if they don’t get to grips with their online behaviour.

“Once they understand this, they become far less likely to reoffend.

“But there are still thousands of men out there viewing sexual images of under 18s who haven’t yet been arrested. So we need to get to them too, to help them understand what they are doing is illegal and incredibly harmful – and to get them to stop.

“People can get that help far more easily than they probably imagine – either by contacting our helpline, or by visiting the Stop it Now website.

“Both helpline and website can provide support and information on how to stop.

“They are both confidential and can be used anonymously.

“So if you are struggling with your online behaviour, or if you know someone who is, please take that all important first step and get in touch.”