In 2019, the Offender Database confirmed that Robert Soanes, then 49, of Southdown Road, Portslade, Brighton, East Sussex, was sentenced at Hove Crown Court for possessing a massive library of “depraved” material. Robert Soanes, an antiques restorer, had streamed thousands of files to his laptop, including 2,372 Category A images that depicted children being raped and subjected to “discernible pain and distress.” Police also discovered 1,312 Category B and 1,059 Category C images, alongside extreme pornography depicting a person performing a sex act with a dog.
The court heard that Robert Soanes claimed he used the horrific material as “stress relief” because he felt “isolated” in his workshop. Prosecution counsel Jonathan Atkinson detailed how the defendant had used specific search terms to find the most disturbing content available online, feeding what Soanes described as an “addiction” to pornography. During the raid on his Portslade home, Sussex Police seized computer equipment that revealed the full extent of his long-term consumption of child sexual abuse material.
Robert Soanes admitted to possessing Category A, B, and C images, a prohibited image of a child, and an extreme pornographic image. Judge Christine Henson QC described the offending as “appalling” but noted that Soanes had no previous convictions and had voluntarily sought help from a charity before sentencing. Consequently, he was handed a 15-month suspended prison sentence and ordered to complete 170 hours of unpaid work, with the judge weighing the potential for rehabilitation against the need for punishment.
As a result of his convictions, Robert Soanes was placed on the Sex Offenders Register and made subject to a Notification Order for the next ten years. Robert Soanes must also comply with a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) for the same decade-long period, which legally restricts his internet usage and digital device ownership. Sussex Police conduct official monitoring, and any breach of his SHPO or registration requirements in the Brighton or Portslade area will result in the immediate activation of his 15-month prison sentence.
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