DANIEL ROBERTS FROM POOLE SENTENCED FOR CHILD SEXUAL OFFENCES AND ONLINE ABUSE
In December 2017, a disturbing case emerged involving Daniel Roberts, a resident of Brunstead Road in Poole, who engaged in heinous online activities targeting young girls.Roberts, who was 17 years old at the time, initially made contact with minors through the popular teen social networking platform Habbo Hotel.
This online environment, known for its virtual chat rooms and social features, became the gateway for Roberts to establish inappropriate connections with vulnerable children.
After establishing initial contact, Roberts encouraged the young girls to continue their conversations across various social media platforms, including Skype.
As these interactions progressed, he began to behave in an abusive manner, coercing the victims into performing sexual acts on themselves for his gratification.
One of the victims was only 11 years old at the time, and Roberts recorded footage of her abuse, which he later used to further manipulate and threaten her.
Roberts’s online presence and activities did not cease with his initial contact.
He returned to the same social network at the age of 23, where he targeted a 14-year-old girl.
Police investigations uncovered chat logs and digital evidence that revealed Roberts had 'commanded' the girls to carry out sexual acts on themselves.
Witnesses and investigators noted that one girl appeared visibly 'petrified and nervous' throughout their interactions, highlighting the psychological impact of Roberts’s grooming and abuse.
In one chilling exchange, a girl, who knew Roberts under the alias 'Daniel Johnson,' pleaded with him to delete footage of her abuse, warning that she would cease communication if he refused.
Roberts responded dismissively, saying, 'Don’t threaten me, lol,' and then issued a threatening warning that he would upload the footage online if she did not comply with his demands.
He further pressured her, asking whether she would perform further acts or risk having the video shared publicly.
The girl expressed her hatred for Roberts, saying, 'I hate you for this,' as she reluctantly turned on her webcam.
Roberts taunted her, remarking, 'It wasn’t hard to turn the camera on, was it?' and reiterated that he would post the footage if she did not continue to cooperate.
Prosecutor Sadie Rizzo, presenting the case at Bournemouth Crown Court, explained that the conversations between Roberts and his victims quickly became sexual once they engaged via Skype.
She detailed that Roberts had purchased software capable of recording everything seen on his computer screen, including web chats, MSN messages, and Skype exchanges.
These recordings spanned several years in some cases, illustrating a pattern of grooming behavior and predatory conduct.
On May 5 of the previous year, police executed a search warrant at Roberts’s residence and seized his computers.
The subsequent forensic examination of his devices was extensive due to the large volume of material stored, which included chat logs, messages, and recorded exchanges.
Although only two victims have been definitively identified, authorities believe Roberts had targeted and recorded at least six girls in total.
Further investigations uncovered that Roberts possessed additional indecent images of children downloaded from the internet, along with six images depicting extreme pornography involving animal abuse.
Roberts pleaded guilty to multiple charges, including seven counts of causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity, thirteen counts of making indecent images of a child, and one count of possessing extreme pornography.
Judge Peter Crabtree OBE sentenced Roberts to four years in prison and imposed an indefinite sexual harm prevention order.
The judge emphasized the profound impact of Roberts’s actions on his victims, stating that they would have felt 'exploited and humiliated' by the abuse.
He further remarked that as the victims matured and understood the severity of what had occurred, they would likely find it difficult to forget the trauma inflicted upon them, underscoring the lasting psychological scars left by Roberts’s predatory behavior.
