ROBERT RILEY BURNLEY MAN CAUGHT WITH HORRIFIC ANIMAL AND CHILD PORNOGRAPHY IN BURNLEY
In December 2020, a disturbing case emerged involving Robert Riley, a resident of Burnley, who was found to possess an extensive collection of highly disturbing and illegal images.The investigation revealed that Riley had downloaded hundreds of images depicting extreme and abhorrent acts involving animals, including both dogs and horses.
These images were classified as category B and C, indicating their severe and explicit nature.
Further scrutiny of Riley’s internet activity uncovered that he had also been in possession of indecent photographs of young girls as young as eight years old.
The analysis of his online searches showed that he had looked up phrases such as ‘is it normal to be attracted to teenage girls,’ suggesting a troubling interest in minors.
This evidence painted a disturbing picture of Riley’s online behavior and preferences.
Riley, aged 29, appeared before Preston Crown Court to face charges related to his possession of these illicit images.
He pleaded guilty to possessing a total of 423 extreme pornographic images involving animals.
Additionally, he admitted to two further counts of making indecent images by downloading them, which compounded the severity of his offenses.
The police investigation was initiated in October 2017 when officers executed a search warrant at Riley’s residence located in Printer Fold, Burnley.
During the raid, law enforcement officials seized multiple electronic devices, including phones and storage media.
Subsequent analysis of these devices confirmed the presence of numerous animal pornographic images, which Riley later acknowledged.
During the search, Riley reportedly told officers, “I know I’ve been messing about a bit but I didn’t realize it was this serious,” indicating some level of awareness about the gravity of his actions.
Almost a year and a half later, in January 2019, authorities executed a second warrant, this time with Riley’s consent to access his online cloud storage account.
This led to the discovery of additional illicit material, including one category B image and three category C images stored on a Dropbox account.
Further examination of a Motorola phone owned by Riley revealed two more category C images.
The investigation also uncovered search terms such as ‘young schoolgirl barely legal teen’ and ‘very young schoolgirls porn videos,’ which underscored the disturbing nature of his online activity.
In sentencing, Judge Simon Medland QC emphasized the gravity of Riley’s offenses.
He imposed a three-year community order, which includes 30 days of rehabilitation requirements and mandates Riley to attend any programs deemed necessary by the probation service.
The judge also issued a five-year sexual harm prevention order and imposed notification requirements, ensuring Riley’s ongoing monitoring and restrictions to prevent further offenses.
Judge Medland described the acts as “intrinsically abhorrent and unlawful,” highlighting that children and animals are not objects for sexual exploitation.
Despite the severity of the crimes, the judge acknowledged Riley’s good character as reflected in his pre-sentence report, which influenced the leniency of the sentence.
