August 2013

Paedophile drag queen arranged to meet father to have sex with his children, 8 and 11, but was caught by police who set up sting operation

• Robert Clothier set up sexual liaison with ‘Mark’ and his children online

• Police were waiting for him at Wimbledon station and arrested him

• Officers found glow-in-the-dark condoms, Easter eggs and toys on him

• Clothier, who also goes by the name Lady James, was jailed for 26 months

• Drag Queen made joke about being a sex offender at Brighton Pride festival

• ‘I’m sweating like a paedophile in Mothercare’, he told the crowd

A paedophile drag queen who arranged to have sex with a father and his two young children has been jailed today.

Robert Clothier, 37, who also goes by the name Lady James, turned up for a liaison with ‘Mark’ and his eight and 11-year-olds, but it was a police sting.

Clothier was arrested at Wimbledon train station in south-west London with a box of chocolate flavoured glow-in-the-dark condoms and pink children’s underwear from Primark. 

He also had an Easter egg for each child, heart-shaped hairbands and a Lego toy, Southwark Crown Court heard. 

MailOnline can also be revealed the entertainer, who is based in Brighton, was filmed at the 2011 Pride Festival making jokes about being a sex offender.

‘I’m sweating like a paedophile in Mothercare it’s so hot in here’, he told the crowd during his drag gig.

Today the court heard in a series of online chats last March, Clothier confessed to having ‘naughty thoughts’ about his own nieces and nephews, but had never acted upon them as he did not want to ‘hurt his family’. 

He said he was ‘turned on’ while purchasing the pink underwear and had chosen a particular set because it was ‘sexy’. 

When he was caught he said he had stocked up on condoms as it was ‘best to be prepared’. 

He described being constantly aroused while thinking about the children and how he was excited and honoured to meet them, adding that, if everything went well, it would not be ‘just a one off’, prosecutor Mervyn Burton told the court. 

Following Clothier’s arrest police raided his Brighton home and found a string of child porn images, including 18 cartoon images of fathers abusing their sons.

Sentencing Clothier to a total of 26 months in prison, Judge Deborah Taylor said: ‘It’s clear from the chat room logs that you were expressing an interest to engage in sexual activity with the children.

‘You arranged to meet Mark, having said you bring protection, including condoms which were chocolate flavoured and glowed in the dark. 

‘You also bought underwear for the daughter, who you believed to be 11, and other presents to make yourself more acceptable to the children. 

‘I take into account that you are of previous good character and all the indications are you have not involved yourself in previous offences of this kind.

‘But these are serious offences and ones which the courts take very seriously indeed.’

Gareth Morgan, defending Clothier, said he had a ‘troubled background’ which led to him developing an interest in ‘liaisons with what he considers father figures’. 

‘He has been candid from the outset and fully accepts his guilt. 

‘His intentions lay towards ‘Mark’ and had he been faced with the children he very much doubts he would have done anything with them.

‘He has never been before the courts before and has led a blameless life to date.’

Clothier has also been involved in charity work for the Brighton Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transsexual (LGBT) Pride association. 

He admitted arranging or facilitating the commission of a child sex offence, making indecent images of children, distributing images of children and possessing prohibited images of children. 

Judge Taylor also order that Clothier’s computer and the indecent images should be forfeited and destroyed.

He will also be subject to a Sexual Offences Prevention Order restricting his access to children under 16 and internet use and must also sign the Sex Offenders’ Register.