ROBERT YOUNG FROM CLACTON CAUGHT IN ONLINE GROOMING PLOT NEAR GREAT DUNMOW

In a disturbing case that highlights the ongoing dangers of online grooming, Robert Young, a 53-year-old man from Stanmore Close in Clacton, was caught attempting to meet a minor after engaging in inappropriate online communications. The incident unfolded in May 2017, when Young drove over 40 miles from his home in Clacton to the vicinity of Great Dunmow, Essex, with the apparent intention of meeting a teenager he believed to be 15 years old.

Young had arranged the meeting through the gay dating app Grindr, believing he was connecting with a young boy. However, the individual he was communicating with was actually a decoy account operated by the group known as CSE Interceptors, a specialized team dedicated to catching individuals attempting to exploit minors and bringing them to justice. The decoy account was set up to identify and apprehend potential offenders, and it successfully caught Young in the act.

On May 26, 2017, Essex Police became aware of Young’s intentions as he was en route to the designated meeting point at Tesco Superstore in Great Dunmow. During the journey, Young began to question the true identity of the person he believed to be a 15-year-old boy. Sensing that something was amiss, Young decided to drive away from the scene. However, police officers who had been monitoring the situation intercepted him shortly thereafter and arrested him.

During the subsequent court proceedings, Richard Kelly, the prosecutor, explained the sequence of events that led to Young’s arrest. He stated, “It takes a turn when the defendant begins to think that this might be a hoax in the middle of a conversation when they were about to meet. The decoy makes a call to the police saying he is at the Tesco store in Dunmow. The conversation was getting the defendant to wait in a particular point – he then comes to the view that this is a hoax and drives away but is picked up by the police a short distance away.”

Further investigation revealed that Young had been in contact with the decoy account, named ‘Bored Teenager,’ on May 25, the day before his arrest. Throughout their exchanges, Young was repeatedly told he was speaking to a 15-year-old. Remarkably, Young admitted during questioning that he was aware of the potential trouble he could face if caught meeting a minor. Despite this, he claimed he thought the person on the other end might be an adult playing a prank and expressed curiosity about the true identity of his online contact.

However, a detailed examination of Young’s phone uncovered evidence of his inappropriate and illegal communications with individuals he believed to be under 16. Police found that on January 12, 2017, Young had sent an explicit photograph to a minor after reading comments from him describing the image. The messages also included Young asking the boy to meet him at his house or in his car, although no such meeting ever materialized.

Further messages from Young on Grindr revealed disturbing fantasies. In one message from April 2017, he expressed a desire for a minor to wear school uniform, panties, and stockings, and come to his hotel room. These messages underscore the severity of his offending and his predatory intentions.

At the time of his arrest, Young had recently celebrated his 53rd birthday on June 2. His defense was represented by Peter Barlex, who acknowledged the seriousness of the charges but also highlighted that Young had taken steps to address his behavior. Mr. Barlex stated, “He is in no doubt at how serious these offences are regarded. He has curbed his behaviour. There are steps he is taking to address this issue like removing the app on his phone. He no longer has his instructor’s driving license and will not be able to gain employment in that sector again. He wants to relocate out of Essex.”

Judge Patricia Lynch sentenced Young to four months in prison on each of the three counts, to run concurrently. In her remarks, she emphasized the gravity of the offences, noting, “These are very serious offences because you thought you were communicating and making arrangements with children and adults who communicate with children in the way you thought you were face serious consequences in these courts. But I take into account there was no actual victim and no actual meeting – the prosecution cannot prove that they were children you were communicating with.”

Additionally, Young was issued a sexual harm prevention order, which will remain in effect for five years, to prevent any further offending. The charges included attempting to meet a minor under 16, engaging in sexual communication, and attempting to arrange a meeting with a child he believed to be under 16, all of which resulted in a four-month sentence for each count, to be served concurrently.