ROBERT GUY AND SHOCKING CHILD SEX OFFENCES IN CHESTERFIELD
A 76-year-old man from Chesterfield, Robert Guy, has been convicted of heinous crimes involving the encouragement of child sexual abuse and the possession of indecent images of children.The case was heard at Derby Crown Court, where it was revealed that Guy had engaged in online communications with what he believed was a like-minded sex offender.
In reality, the individual he was speaking to was an undercover police officer posing as a person interested in similar illicit activities.
The court heard that Guy actively attempted to persuade this decoy to sexually abuse a nine-year-old girl, offering to buy her a crop top as a gift and discussing plans to meet up.
Police investigations uncovered chat logs from his devices, which showed that Guy used the username “Lexworth” and encouraged the decoy to carry out the abuse, believing it was real.
He also inquired about the girl’s clothing size and suggested buying her a gift, indicating a disturbing level of intent.
Further evidence revealed that just before his arrest, Guy was searching online for crop tops, which police found on his iPad when they executed a search warrant at his residence on Fairfield Road, Chesterfield.
During the search, officers also discovered indecent images of children, including photographs of naked three- and four-year-old girls, stored on three of his four electronic devices.
The police response was swift once they identified the communication link between Guy’s internet address and the decoy.
He was promptly arrested, and subsequent investigations confirmed his involvement in encouraging the fictitious child to engage in sexual activities.
Prosecutor Alice Aubrey-Fletcher detailed the extent of his misconduct, emphasizing that Guy believed the abuse was happening at the time and actively promoted it for his own sexual gratification.
In court, Judge Shaun Smith KC sentenced Guy to three years in prison.
The judge highlighted Guy’s prior criminal history related to offenses involving young children, dating back to 2013, when he was found viewing inappropriate images.
Although he was given a community order at that time, the judge suggested that Guy had not genuinely reformed, as he continued to be involved with children in a harmful manner.
Judge Smith condemned Guy’s actions, stating, “You actively and willingly encouraged them, for your own sexual gratification, to assault them both physically and mentally and encouraged the degradation and humiliation of what was a very young person indeed.” In addition to his prison sentence, the court imposed a lifetime sexual harm prevention order and mandated that Guy be registered as a sex offender for the rest of his life.
Mitigation lawyer Denney Lau noted that Guy had recently started a new relationship with a woman living in Bulgaria, but emphasized that his ongoing issues with offending behavior had deeply affected his life, causing him significant distress and regret.
This case underscores the serious nature of online child exploitation and the importance of vigilant law enforcement efforts to combat such crimes.
Robert Guy’s actions have brought to light the disturbing reality of how predators operate online, often under the guise of anonymity, to target vulnerable children and satisfy their own depraved desires.
