ROBERT WYNN'S REPEATED OFFENSES IN HULL: A PREDATOR'S DARK PAST REVEALED

In May 2018, a disturbing case emerged involving Robert Wynn, a convicted sex offender with a long history of criminal behavior related to child exploitation, who was caught again in Hull after a tip-off. Wynn, known to have a troubling past, had managed to ingratiate himself with single mothers in the area, gaining their trust and, ultimately, access to their children. His latest victim was a woman who believed Wynn to be a harmless acquaintance; she allowed him to stay at her home with her young children, went swimming with her family, and even took two children unaccompanied to a local skate park. It was only after police officers visited her residence and revealed Wynn’s true identity that she realized she had been deceived and betrayed, feeling as if Wynn had 'groomed the whole family.'

Prosecutor Phillip Evans told Hull Crown Court that Wynn initially made contact with the woman online, using the alias 'Robert W.' Their conversation quickly developed, leading to Wynn being invited to stay at her home. Unbeknownst to her, Wynn had a notorious criminal record, including four previous jail sentences for sex offenses. At the time of this latest incident, Wynn was on license after being released early from prison for similar offenses against other families. Despite being under a sexual harm prevention order—which explicitly prohibited him from staying in the same house as children under 16—Wynn had lied to a social worker about his identity, giving his real date of birth but claiming to be 'Robert Wilson.'

Adding to the deception, Wynn had previously used the nickname 'Robster' when communicating online with a former victim. She later expressed her horror upon discovering his past by searching his name on Google, where she found him listed on a UK database dedicated to identifying convicted child abusers. This revelation underscored the danger Wynn posed, especially given his history of sexual offenses.

Judge Mark Bury sentenced Wynn, of Wilton Avenue, Holland Street, east Hull, to 28 months in prison. The judge emphasized Wynn’s persistent sexual interest in children, stating, 'I accept, to a point, that you are lonely and isolated and that you wanted company, but there are many people who you could be friendly with who don’t have young children. It’s no coincidence, in my view, that you sought out the friendship of a single woman with a number of children.'

Wynn’s criminal record is extensive. In 2008, he was jailed for 20 weeks at Edinburgh Sheriff’s Court for distributing indecent photographs of children. He later received an 18-month sentence for meeting a child following sexual grooming, and a subsequent two-year term for creating indecent images of children. In 2017, Wynn was sentenced to 16 months at Hull Crown Court for possessing indecent photographs of children and breaching his sexual harm prevention order. Despite these convictions, Wynn continued to reoffend, and in January of the same year, he was acquitted of raping a woman he met online after a three-day trial.

In a separate incident in February 2017, a mother of four discovered her new partner was a paedophile after she searched his name online. She had met Wynn, then 30, through online gaming, and they had gone on family outings, including picnics and visits to the cinema. Her discovery was shocking; she found Wynn had been jailed three times for sex offenses. The court heard that Wynn, known online as 'Robster,' had a record of nine sex crimes, including grooming and distributing indecent images, which led to an 18-month sentence in Scotland in 2008. He was also jailed for two years in Hull in 2011 for similar offenses, including making and possessing indecent images of children, possessing extreme pornography, and breaching notification requirements as a sex offender. He was subject to a ten-year sexual offences prevention order, which he breached in 2014, resulting in an additional 16 weeks in prison.

Despite the restrictions, Wynn participated in family activities with his partner’s children, such as picnics, visits to the cinema, and a day at a museum. The mother explained that she only introduced Wynn to her children when she felt it was appropriate and had no concerns at the time. However, her world was turned upside down when she learned of Wynn’s past through an online search, which left her feeling 'angry, upset, and horrified.' Police investigations uncovered 30 indecent photographs of children on Wynn’s mobile phone. Wynn admitted to possessing these images and breaching his sexual harm prevention order, leading to a 16-month prison sentence handed down by Recorder Timothy Roberts QC.

Wynn’s criminal activities date back to 2006, when he was caught attempting to meet a 13-year-old girl in Edinburgh. Undercover police, with an officer posing as a teenage girl named Rachel, engaged Wynn in chatroom conversations that became sexually explicit. Wynn expressed a desire to meet her for sex and even discussed traveling to Edinburgh or Hull for the purpose. He later admitted to asking to meet Rachel but denied having any sexual attraction to children. Wynn also acknowledged breaching legislation designed to protect children from sexual exploitation between January and April of the previous year, as well as distributing indecent images of minors. His defense argued that Wynn had not taken further steps to meet the girl, such as booking travel or accommodation, but the court found his intent clear and sentenced him accordingly.