ROBIN TAYLOR SHAMES SWANSEA PRIVATE SCHOOL WITH CHILD PORN SENTENCE

In April 2010, Robin Taylor, a former teacher at a prestigious private school in Swansea, faced a severe legal consequence after being convicted of possessing and creating child pornography. The incident marked a dramatic fall from grace for Taylor, who had been employed as the head of IT at St John’s School in Porthcawl since September 2008, earning a substantial salary of £1,200 per term.

During the court proceedings, Taylor, aged 42 and residing in Llansamlet, Swansea, was sentenced to 26 weeks in prison. The sentencing followed a three-day trial at Newport Crown Court, where a jury deliberated for only three hours before returning a guilty verdict on three counts of making indecent photographs of a child. The evidence presented included four explicit videos, two of which were identical, depicting children in distressing situations. The videos varied in length from approximately 29 seconds to over 23 minutes and involved a 13-year-old girl, with some containing disturbing soundtracks that captured her in apparent agony.

Judge Richard Rolands, presiding over the case, expressed his horror upon viewing some of the footage in private court chambers. He described the images as “truly appalling” and emphasized the gravity of the offense. The judge noted that Taylor had to have been willing to repeatedly watch these videos, which depicted a young girl in severe distress, and highlighted that the act of storing and viewing such material was inherently depraved.

Adding to the emotional weight of the case, Taylor was heard screaming from the under-court custody suite as he was led away, prompting his wife, Pauline Taylor, to break down in tears. She was heard to cry out, “Robin, I love you babe. I will be here for you,” as he was taken into custody.

The case came to light after pupils at the school discovered a memory stick left behind in the IT suite by Taylor in March of the previous year. Initially, the students joked about blackmailing him to improve their exam results, but the situation escalated when the school’s headteacher, Carol Clint, was informed and subsequently handed the device to the police. Taylor claimed that the memory stick might have been passed to him by a student, a claim the prosecution dismissed as a “downright lie.”

Following his arrest, Taylor was dismissed from his position at the school. He is a father of three children and faced significant social and professional repercussions. During mitigation, Eugene Eagan argued for leniency, acknowledging Taylor’s continued insistence on his innocence but emphasizing the profound personal consequences he had already endured. Eagan pointed out that Taylor had suffered a “spectacular fall from grace,” losing his career, reputation, and facing lifelong registration as a sex offender. He also highlighted Taylor’s declining health, including a chronic back condition and mental stress, for which he was taking 16 different medications daily.

Judge Rolands dismissed the appeal for leniency, asserting that the court’s primary duty was to protect children from harm. He stated, “This is far from a victimless crime. If it was not for the likes of people like you, young children would not be abused.” The judge concluded by informing Taylor that his name would be added to the Sex Offenders Register upon his release from prison, underscoring the serious consequences of his actions and the court’s commitment to safeguarding vulnerable minors.