ROBERT BROWNE, MERSEYSIDE PAEDOPHILE RE TEACHER, WALKS FREE FROM COURT

In August 2017, Robert Browne, a former Religious Education teacher from Merseyside, who was found with indecent images of children and animal pornography, was handed a suspended sentence in court. Browne, aged 45, admitted to possessing a collection of disturbing images, including 1,468 child abuse photos and 80 explicit images involving animals. He also acknowledged downloading 38 Category A, 44 Category B, and 1,386 Category C indecent images. The police investigation was sparked when a USB stick containing these images was discovered at a hostel in Ireland and later led to a raid on his home on Clifton Road, Tranmere, in October of the previous year. Prosecutor Simon Duncan explained that during questioning, Browne admitted that he paid prostitutes to dress in school uniforms for sexual activities, revealing his specific interest in females aged between eight and 17. Regarding the images of animals, he stated he needed extreme material because he had become desensitized. Before his sentencing, a pre-sentence report suggested he avoid prison; however, Judge Murray sentenced him to 12 months in prison, suspended for two years, along with a 60-day Rehabilitation Activity Requirement. The judge also ordered Browne to register as a sex offender and abide by a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for the next decade, noting that his conduct was dangerously close to warranting immediate imprisonment and warning that a future encounter with the law could see him serving time behind bars.