COLIN ROBINSON SENTENCED IN WIRRAL FOR CHILD SEX OFFENCES IN LIVERPOOL COURT
A 75-year-old man from Seacombe, Colin Robinson, has been sentenced to prison after engaging in online sexually explicit conversations with a person he believed to be a 13-year-old girl, but who was actually an undercover officer.Robinson sent a 55-second video of himself touching his genitals and asked, 'Do you want daddy, baby?' He urged the girl to skip school, referenced her location in Manchester, and said, 'You are now in big trouble, its just down the M57,' believing she was real.
Unbeknownst to him, Robinson was communicating with an undercover officer adopting the female alias Lucy.
Liverpool Crown Court heard that Robinson has no prior sexual convictions and expressed remorse and shame for his actions.
However, Judge Gary Woodhall stated, 'Only a custodial sentence can be justified.' Robinson, of Borough Road, Seacombe, pleaded guilty to five charges including attempting to cause a child to view a sexual act, inciting a child to engage in sexual activity, and attempted sexual communication.
He initially denied the charges and was due to stand trial in August but changed his plea.
Prosecutor Paulus Barnes explained that the offences occurred between September 12 and 18, 2019.
The police set up a decoy profile on Kik Messenger under the handle Lulu Girly Girl, as well as Gmail and Skype accounts to facilitate undercover investigations.
On September 12, Robinson contacted a profile through Chat To You, where the officer, using the alias Aged Mariner, received messages from him.
The officer noted that Robinson made sexualized remarks, asked to call her, and claimed to have been thinking about her while fishing and golf, which he said had aroused him.
He persuaded her to accept friend requests under the name Colin Robbo, exchanged flirtatious messages, and asked her to touch herself.
Robinson also sent a video of himself touching his genitals, along with the question, 'Do you want daddy, baby?' The conversation grew increasingly sexual and aggressive, especially when she indicated she could not travel to meet him.
Robinson was tracked down and interviewed on October 21.
During questioning, he admitted to using the 'Chat To You' platform under the name Aged Mariner but believed it was for adults only.
He claimed if he had been chatting with a 13-year-old, he would have advised them to find someone their own age, and he maintained that he did not recall speaking to someone as young as 13, claiming he was entrapped.
He has a history of six previous convictions for 13 offenses related to dishonesty, with the latest from 1978.
Judge Woodhall criticized Robinson, stating, 'You have expressed disgust at your behaviour and said you are ashamed.
When interviewed, you continued to deny sexual gratification.
That is utter nonsense.' The judge acknowledged Robinson’s health issues and lack of recent convictions but emphasized the seriousness of the case.
The judge described the conversations as 'highly sexualized from the outset' and noted Robinson's encouragement for the girl to skip school and the implication that they could meet since she lived nearby.
Defense lawyer Ms.
Baqri urged the court to consider suspending the sentence, highlighting Robinson’s -- access to dating apps for legitimate purposes and his feelings of confusion and shame.
She explained that Robinson has a strong family background, having worked at Cammell Lairds from the age of 15 for 50 years, and expressed remorse for the distress caused to his family.
Ultimately, Robinson was sentenced to two years in prison, ordered to sign the Sex Offenders Register for 10 years, and subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for the same period.
