ROBERT COLCLOUGH SENTENCED IN BENTILEE AND STOKE-ON-TRENT FOR CHILD SEXUAL OFFENSES AND INDECENT IMAGES

In December 2014, Robert Colclough, a known resident of Bentilee, was convicted and sentenced for a disturbing series of offenses involving a young girl and the possession of indecent images of children. The incident that led to his arrest occurred on a bus traveling to Hanley, where Colclough, aged 44, engaged in predatory behavior towards a four-year-old girl.

According to court reports, the young girl was seated towards the back of the single-decker bus with her sister, while her family was positioned towards the front. Colclough boarded the bus near Stoke railway station and sat next to the girl, initiating a conversation by asking about the game she was playing with her sister. He allowed the child to view a game on his mobile phone, seemingly attempting to gain her trust.

At one point, Colclough asked the girl to give him a kiss. When she attempted to walk away, he forcibly grabbed her hand, turned her around, and kissed her on the lips. The girl’s family noticed his behavior and, upon disembarking at Hanley bus station, they pointed him out to their mother. The mother challenged Colclough, and police were immediately called to the scene.

When officers arrived, they found Colclough appearing to be intoxicated. He was subsequently arrested. Police then visited his residence on Maidstone Grove in Bentilee, where they observed a collection of children’s Thomas the Tank Engine toys. The following day, Colclough was taken into custody again after he had inflicted self-harm.

During questioning, Colclough admitted to downloading numerous indecent images of children. He expressed that he was addicted to these images and claimed he was not in a sound state of mind. His mobile phones were examined, revealing the presence of two Category A images—the most serious classification—along with two Category B images and a staggering 2,332 images classified as Category C.

In his police interview, Colclough described the act of kissing the young girl as a foolish mistake, acknowledging that it was inappropriate behavior with the benefit of hindsight. He stated that he was single, had no children, and was a collector of Thomas the Tank Engine trains. His guilty plea to charges of sexual assault of a child and nine counts of possession of indecent photographs led to his sentencing.

Judge Robin Lichfield, presiding over the case, highlighted that Colclough was under significant stress at work and had been drinking heavily. The stress, coupled with his arrest, appeared to have contributed to his subsequent actions, including a robbery and self-harm incident the following day. The court sentenced Colclough to eight months in prison, to run consecutively with a previous sentence of three years and four months for robbery and possession of a knife in public.

Furthermore, Colclough was ordered to be subject to a five-year sexual offences prevention order and will be registered as a sex offender for the next ten years, reflecting the severity of his crimes and the ongoing risk he poses to the community.