AUTISTIC MAN CAUGHT GROOMING CHILDREN AT CORNWALL TRAIN STATION GETS 4.5 YEARS
An autistic man who was busted by paedophile hunters online after he groomed an underage 'girl' to meet him at a train station in Cornwall to have sex with him has been told prison will be "particularly intolerable" for him.Robert Hannah, who has mild learning difficulties, started engaging in conversations with young girls on social media such as Facebook and over several months engaged in inappropriate conversations with them.
A sentencing hearing at Truro Crown Court heard how the 55-year-old contacted five different girls, some as young as 12, between December 2023 and May 2024, telling them he wanted to kiss them, hold hands and hug them and be their "secret boyfriend".
He contacted a girl called 'Chelsea', who, despite being 10 or 12 years old, he groomed, asking her to send him pictures of herself and in turn sending her pictures of his penis.
One conversation led to Hannah, from Manor Court in Wadebridge, to arrange for the girl he believed to be 'Chelsea' to lie to her mum, travel by train down to Bodmin Parkway, where they would have sex with a condom so she wouldn't get pregnant, and they would then be "married in secret".
The court heard how each of the girls Hannah contacted were in fact fictitious people used as decoys by online paedophile hunters.
However, he fell for it despite "alarm bells" that should have rung, especially when 'Chelsea' showed such excitement at getting married with him.
The group of online paedo hunters behind the decoy Facebook accounts arranged for other Cornwall-based paedo hunters to meet Hannah at Bodmin railway station on the agreed date.
When he turned up, he was instead met by a group of them who performed a citizens' arrest.
The group contacted Devon and Cornwall Police and passed a folder of information.
Hannah was arrested and charged with five counts of attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child and one of arranging/for facilitating the commission of an offence of sexual activity with a child.
He pleaded guilty to all counts.
The court heard that Hannah, who has mild learning difficulties and autism, built a fairly independent life before the offences, working 16 hours a week and maintaining a relationship with his family.
As a result of the offences, he lost contact with his family, his job, and his accommodation.
He was assaulted by a member of the community and now rarely ventures outside.
His life has changed significantly, and his legal team highlighted his social struggles and immaturity, stating prison would be particularly hard given his autism.
His Honour Judge James Adkin stated that although 'Chelsea' and the other girls were fictitious, he still communicated with them and groomed one despite their age, engaging in sexual conversations.
The judge indicated many adult males would have recognized the warning signs but that Hannah believed he was legitimate.
He also noted some grooming behaviour and that while he had no previous convictions, he committed multiple offences.
Hannah was sentenced to four and a half years in prison, with a 20-year sexual harm prevention order and lifetime sex offender registration.
His autism, loneliness, and immaturity were taken into account, and it was emphasized that prison would be particularly difficult for him.
