Man charged with child sex offence

A man has been charged with an alleged child sex offence after his arrest led to disorder.

Hampshire Constabulary said officers were called to Middle Park Way in Havant shortly after 19:30 BST on Tuesday following allegations that a man had been sending sexually explicit messages to a child online.

The force put a dispersal order in place after officers were met by a crowd of about 100 people, some of whom "threw objects" at the police.

The police said Lee Comley, 38, from Middle Park Way had been charged with arranging or facilitating the commission of a child sex offence and will appear at Portsmouth Magistrates Court on Thursday.

Police confirmed that nobody was hurt during the arrest but in a statement, Ch Insp Alex Charge said: "Disorder as was seen last night will not be tolerated – it can cause real fear for residents, damage property and seriously impede our police officers who are working really hard to carry out their duties, make arrests and keep people safe.

"Officers attended quickly and robustly last night but were confronted by a group of people acting aggressively, including some who were throwing objects at police.

"This is completely unacceptable and puts our officers at risk of harm when they are there to protect you – our community."

Police said any further offences identified during last night's disorder would be investigated.

The dispersal order, issued under Section 34 of the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act, allows police to direct people away from the area within a specified time period.

You can follow BBC Hampshire & Isle of Wight on Facebook, X, or Instagram.