Former Police Employee Sentenced Again for Child Sex Offences

An individual who formerly worked for a police force, and who had previously been incarcerated for distributing illicit images depicting child abuse, has been given an additional custodial sentence for comparable transgressions. David Robinson, aged 56, initially received a conviction in 2015 after his “sickening” online communications with other paedophiles, which involved an offer to purchase a child online for abuse, came to light. Following his release in October 2020, law enforcement officers found new material on his mobile phone during a visit to his residence located in Carlisle, Cumbria. When imposing a sentence of 40 months, Judge Nicholas Barker stated that Robinson had removed the messages due to their “sexual and indecent” nature and their connection to the abuse of children. Robinson’s employment with the force involved working as “front counter” staff, serving as the initial point of contact for individuals visiting a police station. Subsequent discoveries by police on his phone included indecent images of children, some classified as the most severe Category A, alongside WhatsApp conversations with other males. However, certain messages and call logs had been removed, which “frustrated attempts by police to see the history of those conversations,” as stated by prosecutor Gerard Rogerson at Carlisle Crown Court on Friday. Robinson had also activated a “disappearing messages” feature within the messaging application. The court was informed that these actions, combined with the deletion of chats, constituted a violation of a sexual offences prevention order (SOPO) that had been imposed as part of his 2015 penalty to limit his online activities. Robinson confessed to nine charges pertaining to the breach of the SOPO, the creation of indecent photographs of children, and the possession of extreme pornographic images. He is required to register as a sex offender for a period of 10 years, with a new and indefinite prevention order now in effect. Judge Barker stated, “I am satisfied that the reason you deleted the messages was because the context of those messages was of a sexual and indecent nature, relating to the sexual abuse of children.” The judge further indicated that Robinson, residing on Garfield Street, ought to be categorized as a dangerous offender and, consequently, imposed an extended three-year license period. In the course of Robinson’s prior criminal activity, while making an offer to purchase a child online, he had prepared a room in his residence for a young person and submitted an application to become a foster carer for young boys. The judge presiding over the previous sentencing remarked that Robinson “presented one face to the outside world, another deeply unattractive one online.”