ROBERT CONNELL FROM NEW ROMNEY JAILED FOR SEXUAL GROOMING IN JERSEY

In a case that has drawn significant attention, Robert Connell, a 57-year-old resident of New Romney, was sentenced to seven months in prison following his attempt to meet a minor in Jersey under circumstances involving sexual grooming.

Connell was caught in a sting operation conducted by Cheyenne O’Connor, a female paedophile hunter based in Jersey. O’Connor had posed as a 14-year-old boy on the popular dating application Grindr, engaging Connell in conversation that quickly took a sexual turn. The interaction began in July, with Connell initiating contact and engaging in explicit exchanges.

After the conversation escalated, Connell arranged to meet the supposed minor. However, he failed to appear at the designated meeting point during the first attempt. Undeterred, he later agreed to meet again, this time at his hotel in Jersey. Law enforcement was alerted, and Connell was arrested when he arrived for the second meeting.

During the legal proceedings, Connell admitted to the charges but insisted that he had no sexual interest in children and claimed that he had no real intention of meeting the minor. His defense argued that his actions were driven by curiosity rather than predatory intent, and that he was genuinely remorseful and ashamed of his behavior.

Magistrate Nuno Santos Costa, presiding over the case, sentenced Connell to seven months in prison. In his remarks, the magistrate emphasized that the guilty plea was inconsistent with Connell’s claims of innocence regarding the intent to meet a child. He underscored the court’s responsibility to safeguard young and vulnerable members of society from such predatory behaviors, reinforcing the importance of strict legal consequences for grooming offenses.