ROBERT COLEMAN FROM GLOUCESTER SENTENCED FOR SEX OFFENCES IN BANBURY

Following an extensive investigation conducted by Thames Valley Police, a man has been formally sentenced to prison for committing multiple serious sexual offences in the town of Banbury. The individual in question, Robert Coleman, aged 42 and residing on Swan Road in Gloucester, faced a court hearing at Oxford Crown Court on Friday, 28 March, where the verdict was delivered.

During the proceedings, Coleman was handed a substantial prison sentence totaling 15 years. In addition to his incarceration, he has been placed on the sex offenders register for life, ensuring ongoing monitoring and restrictions. Furthermore, he has been subject to a sexual harm prevention order for life, which imposes strict conditions aimed at protecting the public from potential future offences. A restraining order has also been issued for each of the victims involved, prohibiting Coleman from approaching or contacting them in any manner.

Coleman entered guilty pleas to multiple charges, including one count of assaulting a female aged 13 or over by penetration with a part of his body or an object. He also admitted to taking an indecent photograph or pseudo-photograph of a child, as well as distributing such images. In addition, he pleaded guilty to five counts of sexual assault, all of which were considered during the hearing.

The investigation into Coleman's activities began in May 2021 when he used a social media account to upload indecent images of a child. The Online Child Abuse Investigation Team, after gathering intelligence, traced these images back to an address in Banbury. Acting on this information, officers executed a warrant at the location and subsequently arrested Coleman on suspicion of voyeurism.

During police interviews, Coleman initially denied any involvement in creating indecent images of children. However, he admitted to uploading the images and videos to the social media platform. When his mobile phone was seized and examined, officers discovered a disturbing collection of 279 indecent images and videos depicting children and women. Throughout the police interviews, Coleman remained uncooperative, responding with ‘no comment’ to all questions posed to him.

He was formally arrested on 8 July 2021 and was charged with these offences on 8 November 2024, marking a significant step in the pursuit of justice for the victims involved.