EARBY'S ROBERT METCALFE JAILED FOR CHILD SEX OFFENCES

A man identified as Robert Metcalfe, aged 67, of Cowgill Street in Earby, has been sentenced to five years and four months in prison for plotting to commit child sex offenses involving two young children aged five and seven. The case was brought before Preston Crown Court, where he faced three counts of commissioning the rape of a child under 13. He was caught by police who were using a decoy account on a messaging platform described as a chat room for individuals with perverted interests. Metcalfe engaged in conversations with an officer posing as a mother of a young girl and a young boy, discussing numerous sexual acts he intended to carry out on the children and arranging meetings, including one at a Tesco store in Syke Street, Haslingden. During this meeting, he expressed that it was pleasant talking to someone with similar perverted interests and agreed to meet again. He was later arrested at the scene, and during police questioning, claimed his actions were part of an online fantasy and that law enforcement had deceived him. His phone and laptop were confiscated, though police had yet to review all computer content. Judge Samuel Preston described Metcalfe's behavior as particularly grotesque, emphasizing that he fully intended to meet the decoy with the aim of sexually abusing the children, which could have caused lifelong trauma. The judge noted that although Metcalfe was remorseful publicly, he refused to admit his guilt, only stating an interest in meeting the mother. His defense argued that he was a good man who had fallen into fantasy, suffering from health problems including blood clots and arthritis. Despite his health issues, the judge said his actions marked a tragic end to a productive life, driven by dark impulses. Metcalfe's sentence reflects the seriousness of his crimes, highlighting the destructive potential of online fantasies turned into dangerous intentions.