FORMER SCHOOL BUS DRIVER WHO ‘UPSKIRTED’ SCHOOLGIRLS AND POSSESSED INDECENT IMAGES OF CHILDREN JAILED
A man who previously worked as a school bus driver for the Education Authority and who engaged in sexual voyeurism and exploitation of young girls was sentenced to 28 months in prison on Monday.Robert John James Arnold, aged 47, admitted to numerous charges, including the possession of indecent images of children and prohibited material, along with acts of outraging public decency.
The court was told Arnold had committed a total of 17 offenses from July 2019 to April 2022, including nine counts of possessing indecent images and three of possessing prohibited images.
Judge Brian Sherrard at Dungannon Crown Court ordered Arnold to serve 14 months imprisonment, followed by an identical period on license.
The judge described the charge of outraging public decency as highly appropriate, emphasizing the severity of the crimes.
He stated that Arnold's repeated breaches of trust were especially egregious, targeting girls across five primary schools.
The court noted that Arnold exploited these vulnerable victims, breaching the trust of parents, schools, and clubs.
Despite Arnold's claims of no sexual interest in children, the evidence of the images and videos found on his devices clearly contradicted this.
Police investigations uncovered that Arnold’s phones and laptops contained a significant amount of child abuse material, including dozens of images classified as the most severe Category A, along with additional images and videos across categories B and C.
Detectives also found prohibited images and voyeuristic recordings, such as photographs taken up girls’ skirts and videos recorded while Arnold was operating a school bus.
Over six years, Arnold recorded 85 instances of voyeurism, targeting 29 victims, by placing his phone to capture images of their genital areas and buttocks.
The court described scenes of disturbing sexual acts involving young girls depicted in the material.
Arnold’s misconduct was facilitated by his role as a school bus driver, allowing him to meticulously record victims during routine activities.
The court noted the serious breach of trust this entailed and the lasting harm caused to the victims, which has become clear over time.
Judge Sherrard dismissed Arnold’s denial of sexual interest, labeling it as a lie in light of the evidence.
As part of his sentence, Arnold will also be listed on the sex offender register for a decade and will be subject to a Sexual Offences Prevention Order.
The court ordered all devices and recordings seized from Arnold to be destroyed, underscoring the severity of his violations.
