DUNGIVEN MAN IN COURT OVER SEXUALISED MESSAGES WITH DECOY POSING AS TEENAGE BOY
A man from Dungiven has appeared in court charged with engaging in sexualized communication with a decoy posing as a 14-year-old boy, in what was described as a very disturbing case.The hearing took place at Antrim Magistrates Court in Ballymena, where it was also revealed that 53-year-old Michael Patrick Robinson from Ard na Smoll, Dungiven, admitted to participating in the explicit conversations.
During these exchanges, he discussed touching his private parts and performing sex acts with men.
Robinson attended the court via video link from police custody, facing a single charge of attempted sexual communication with a decoy.
The charge accuses him of trying to contact a person under the age of 16 between July 18 and August 10, this year, with the intent of sexual gratification.
The prosecution claims that Robinson deliberately sought to engage in sexual conversations, not believing the decoy was over 16.
A police officer testified that authorities from the paedophile hunter group Justice Reborn contacted them on August 10 to report they were about to confront Robinson at his home.
The group provided officers with a USB drive and documents showing that Robinson had been messaging a decoy since July 19, initially via a dating app and later through WhatsApp.
The officer stated that the evidence logs included highly sexual content, with the decoy informing Robinson he was 14 years old.
The police exhibited 30 pages of chat transcripts in which Robinson asked questions like, “Did you touch your thingy today; give it a little rub.” The court was told that Robinson repeatedly instructed the decoy on masturbation and how men perform oral sex acts.
The police officer also noted that the chats were streamed live on Facebook by Justice Reborn, and that after his arrest, Robinson fully admitted his involvement during police interviews.
Regarding bail, the officer expressed concerns for Robinson’s safety, mentioning the defendant's feelings that his life was over and his risk of self-harm.
He added that Robinson lacked a suitable address and stated that if he could find a place outside Dungiven, police would be willing to consider bail.
Robinson’s solicitor, Ruairi Muldoon, confirmed that his client was issued a TM1 form, indicating an ongoing safety threat.
Acknowledging that bail at his previous address was not appropriate, the solicitor explained that no alternative address was available.
Judge Broderick decided to grant bail but made it conditional on Robinson locating an address acceptable to police before release.
Bail was set at £500, with conditions including a ban on devices with internet access, no contact with anyone under 18, and regular police reporting.
Robinson was remanded in custody until his next court appearance on September 3.
