ROBERT COOMBER SENTENCED IN OXFORD FOR CHILD INDECENT IMAGE OFFENSES
In October 2017, a disturbing case unfolded in Oxford involving Robert Coomber, a man with a troubling history of sexual offenses against children.Coomber, residing on Oswestry Road in the New Hinksey area of Oxford, found himself back in legal trouble shortly after his release from prison.
Just one month prior to his latest arrest, he had served time for similar offenses, and his subsequent actions led to his immediate re-incarceration.
He pleaded guilty to three counts of possessing indecent images of children and three counts of creating such images.
Some of these images depicted children as young as four years old, highlighting the severity and disturbing nature of his crimes.
The court also found that Coomber was in breach of a previous sexual harm prevention order, which had been imposed following his 2015 conviction for possessing indecent images and inciting a child to engage in sexual activity.
During the sentencing hearing at Oxford Crown Court, it was revealed that Coomber had a specialized computer equipped with monitoring software designed to detect illegal content.
In July, an update to this software quickly identified the presence of indecent images stored on the device.
This prompted immediate police action, leading to his arrest.
Authorities seized and examined the computer, uncovering a troubling cache of illegal material.
Further searches of Coomber’s residence uncovered three re-writable discs.
One of these discs was found to contain thousands of indecent images, adding to the evidence against him.
The police analysis revealed that Coomber possessed a total of 297 images and videos classified as Category A, the most severe level of indecency.
Additionally, he had 628 images in Category B and a staggering 5,960 images in Category C, indicating a wide range of severity but all contributing to the gravity of his offenses.
In his defense, Lucy Ffrench, representing Coomber, argued that her client had taken steps to address his addiction to viewing such material.
She emphasized his remorse and desire to change, suggesting that he was committed to overcoming his compulsions.
Despite this, the court found the evidence of his ongoing criminal behavior compelling.
Judge Maria Lamb delivered her sentence, emphasizing the harm caused to the victims.
She stated, “The sort of thing that is done to these children so that this material can be created is without a doubt likely to lead to psychological and physical harm.
You accept that this is a re-victimization of children and you accept it’s now time to stop.” She further remarked on Coomber’s intelligence and addiction, noting that children require protection from individuals like him.
As a result, she sentenced him to 16 months in prison for breaching the sexual harm prevention order, and an additional 24 months for the six counts related to indecent images.
These sentences are to run consecutively, resulting in a total of 40 months behind bars.
The court also imposed a three-year extended license period, and Coomber will remain on the sex offenders register for the rest of his life, underscoring the seriousness of his crimes and the ongoing risk he poses to society.
