ROBERT MCKINLEY WROUGHTON CAMPING TRIP BRINGS SEX OFFENDER BREACH TO LIGHT
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Wroughton Child Sexual Abuser
In June 2016, a serious incident involving Robert McKinley, a known sex offender from Wroughton, came to public attention during a court hearing at Swindon magistrates. The case revealed that McKinley had failed to disclose his status on the sex offenders register prior to embarking on a camping holiday with two young girls, an act that constituted a breach of the legal requirements governing registered offenders.
According to prosecutor Vyvyan Thatcher, McKinley's misconduct was particularly egregious during the trip to Ashton Keynes in April of the previous year. During this holiday, McKinley engaged in inappropriate behavior with one of the children, including swimming naked in a lake at Ashton Keynes and removing her bra while they were in the water. The court was informed that he also gave her cider during this time, raising serious concerns about his conduct and the safety of the children involved.
Thatcher emphasized that McKinley, who resides at Brimble Hill, Wroughton, had been a registered sex offender since 2009. It was also noted that prior to this registration, he was known by a different name. His criminal record includes a conviction in 2009 for sexual activity with a child, which resulted in a one-year prison sentence. Despite his criminal history, McKinley’s relationship with the children’s mother appeared to be positive initially, as she believed he was good with children after taking some time to get to know him.
The court heard that during the camping trip, McKinley’s actions were in direct violation of the conditions of his registration, which require him to notify his offender manager of any stay with minors. The breach was committed when he failed to inform authorities that he was staying at the Ashton Keynes site with children. The prosecutor detailed that McKinley had driven his camper van to the site, where the woman accompanying him had met him with her children. It was later discovered that he had not fulfilled his notification obligations, which was a significant legal breach.
Further evidence was presented when the mother found documents in McKinley's possession under a different name. When she questioned him about these documents, he provided various explanations. Subsequently, she decided to search online and uncovered his conviction for a sex offence, along with details of the lake incident involving her underage daughter, who was under 13 at the time.
In May 2015, McKinley was interviewed by police and admitted to the allegations. He confirmed that he had given the child cider, helped her remove her bra while they swam, and had taken the children on a bike ride without the mother’s knowledge. These admissions underscored the seriousness of his misconduct.
McKinley, aged 52, pleaded guilty to the breach of his registration conditions. His defense lawyer, Richard Williams, explained that the failure to notify was entirely inadvertent. Williams stated that McKinley had driven his camper to the site and that the woman with whom he was staying had met him there with her children. He emphasized that McKinley had slept in the caravan and the children had been in a tent, asserting that there was no intention to deceive authorities.
Williams acknowledged the gravity of the situation, noting that McKinley recognized the vulnerability his actions had created. He also pointed out that prior to this incident, McKinley had no history of notification issues and that the oversight was a genuine mistake.
The magistrates requested a pre-sentence report and adjourned the case until July 8. McKinley was granted bail under the condition that he must not have any unsupervised contact with anyone under the age of 18 unless explicitly approved by his offender manager, highlighting the ongoing concern for public safety and the importance of strict supervision in such cases.
According to prosecutor Vyvyan Thatcher, McKinley's misconduct was particularly egregious during the trip to Ashton Keynes in April of the previous year. During this holiday, McKinley engaged in inappropriate behavior with one of the children, including swimming naked in a lake at Ashton Keynes and removing her bra while they were in the water. The court was informed that he also gave her cider during this time, raising serious concerns about his conduct and the safety of the children involved.
Thatcher emphasized that McKinley, who resides at Brimble Hill, Wroughton, had been a registered sex offender since 2009. It was also noted that prior to this registration, he was known by a different name. His criminal record includes a conviction in 2009 for sexual activity with a child, which resulted in a one-year prison sentence. Despite his criminal history, McKinley’s relationship with the children’s mother appeared to be positive initially, as she believed he was good with children after taking some time to get to know him.
The court heard that during the camping trip, McKinley’s actions were in direct violation of the conditions of his registration, which require him to notify his offender manager of any stay with minors. The breach was committed when he failed to inform authorities that he was staying at the Ashton Keynes site with children. The prosecutor detailed that McKinley had driven his camper van to the site, where the woman accompanying him had met him with her children. It was later discovered that he had not fulfilled his notification obligations, which was a significant legal breach.
Further evidence was presented when the mother found documents in McKinley's possession under a different name. When she questioned him about these documents, he provided various explanations. Subsequently, she decided to search online and uncovered his conviction for a sex offence, along with details of the lake incident involving her underage daughter, who was under 13 at the time.
In May 2015, McKinley was interviewed by police and admitted to the allegations. He confirmed that he had given the child cider, helped her remove her bra while they swam, and had taken the children on a bike ride without the mother’s knowledge. These admissions underscored the seriousness of his misconduct.
McKinley, aged 52, pleaded guilty to the breach of his registration conditions. His defense lawyer, Richard Williams, explained that the failure to notify was entirely inadvertent. Williams stated that McKinley had driven his camper to the site and that the woman with whom he was staying had met him there with her children. He emphasized that McKinley had slept in the caravan and the children had been in a tent, asserting that there was no intention to deceive authorities.
Williams acknowledged the gravity of the situation, noting that McKinley recognized the vulnerability his actions had created. He also pointed out that prior to this incident, McKinley had no history of notification issues and that the oversight was a genuine mistake.
The magistrates requested a pre-sentence report and adjourned the case until July 8. McKinley was granted bail under the condition that he must not have any unsupervised contact with anyone under the age of 18 unless explicitly approved by his offender manager, highlighting the ongoing concern for public safety and the importance of strict supervision in such cases.