October 2012

Pensioner jailed for bribing Plymouth girl to perform webcam sex

A PENSIONER has been jailed after he befriended a schoolgirl on the internet – and bribed her into performing webcam sex.

Eric Robinson sent the youngster money to buy underwear in which to pose for the camera, but went on to encourage her to make more explicit images.

The 77-year-old even asked her to have sex at her Plymouth home while he watched on his own computer 20 miles away.

Police investigators uncovered evidence that Robinson had been swapping vile images with fellow paedophiles on the internet.

Robinson, of Hunterswell Road, in Newton Abbot, admitted possession and distribution of indecent images of children and four counts of procuring a child to make an indecent image.

He was jailed for five years by Judge Francis Gilbert, QC, at Exeter Crown Court.

He told Robinson: “I don’t think that in my long career at the bar and on the bench have I come across such a case as this.

“What you did was extremely serious.

“You induced this girl to pose for your sexual gratification and you filmed her being sexually abused.

“You also distributed horrifying images of children under ten being abused by adults.”

Richard Crabb, prosecuting, said the victim told investigators that Robinson had paid her to performwebcam sex for him and had encouraged her to film herself being abused.

Mr Crabb said Robinson was also found with an unrelated hoard of child pornography on his computer, with 125 still images and 34 movies, of which a high proportion showed children being forced to have sex with adults.

Checks also showed the pensioner had distributed some of the images – and Robinson admitted sending them to a stranger who had “asked to see some porn”.

Sarah Vince, defending, said Robinson felt horrible and disgusted by what he had done and wanted to receive treatment.

She said he suffered health problems and had experienced harassment since his case went to court.

“He is concerned for his wife, who will have to face that on her own, and says he is grateful to the police for the help they have given him,” Miss Vince said. “He says he is impotent so any sexual gratification he got from the images was limited.”