ROBERT STRINGER SENTENCED FOR DISTURBING INDECENT IMAGES IN DERBYSHIRE AND BUXTON

Derby Crown Court convened on Monday, January 11, to review the case of Robert Stringer, a 61-year-old resident of Byron Street, Buxton, following his admission to possessing a significant collection of indecent images, along with related media and photographs that fell into various categories of indecency. The proceedings shed light on a history of convictions and breaches of court orders, illustrating a persistent pattern of offending and failure to comply with restrictions.

Prosecutor Abi Joyce outlined the lengthy criminal history of Stringer, emphasizing that he had previously been convicted in March 2009 for possession of indecent photographs. In that case, he received a 12-month prison sentence and was ordered to register as a sex offender for a decade. The initial court order also included a ban on possessing any computer capable of displaying images, aiming to prevent further offenses.

Despite such restrictions, Stringer was found guilty in May 2012 of violating his Sexual Offenders Prevention Order (SOPO) by being in possession of a computer. As part of the penalty, he was given a community order. The conditions of the SOPO were subsequently altered to prevent him from accessing any device capable of connecting to the internet unless it had the capacity to retain internet browsing history, in an attempt to monitor any illicit activity.

Further breaches of the court’s restrictions occurred over time. In January 2013, Stringer was again in trouble—this time for creating photographs of children—which resulted in a three-year community order. Despite these multiple convictions and restrictions, investigations revealed ongoing issues. In August 2015, his offender manager became aware that he possessed a mobile phone. Subsequently, police found him using the device while driving, which indicated non-compliance with the restrictions.

When police visited his residence, Stringer failed to voluntarily disclose the phone. However, officers were able to identify its make and successfully called the device, confirming that it was subscribed to an internet plan. During police interviews, Stringer admitted to committing recent offenses driven by feelings of frustration and anger over accusations leveled against him. He confessed to viewing adult pornography, explaining that he believed the site likely also hosted content involving teenagers aged 14 to 18. He expressed guilt over having daughters but denied any sexual attraction to children.

The court heard that in total, Stringer pleaded guilty to multiple charges, including breaching the SOPO by possessing a mobile phone with internet capability between October 2013 and September 2015, possessing indecent images, a photograph of a child, and an indecent movie, all dating from June to September 2015. The images included minors approximately aged 13 and 14 up to 16.

His defense solicitor, James Riley, requested that the court consider imposing a suspended prison sentence so that Stringer could work with probation and police authorities to address his problems. Nonetheless, Judge Jonathan Bennett was firm in his decision, sentencing Stringer to 12 months of immediate custody.

In his remarks to the defendant, Judge Bennett condemned the calculated nature of the offenses, noting that they demonstrated significant disregard for court orders. He highlighted that Stringer’s previous convictions and repeated breaches illustrated little remorse or progress towards rehabilitation. The judge underscored that custody was necessary due to the defendant's continued offending despite previous community orders, reflecting the seriousness of his persistent behavior.

It was further revealed that the illegal images and movies involved minors aged roughly 13 to 16 years old, underscoring the disturbing nature of his offenses and the urgent need for detention to protect the public.