Robert Daw, then aged 26, of Redwing Lane, Liverpool, Merseyside, was sentenced to three and a half years’ imprisonment at Liverpool Crown Court after admitting to multiple offences concerning the sexual exploitation of children online.
The prosecution concluded an operation conducted by the North West Regional Organised Crime Unit’s (NWROCU) Internet Child Abuse Team (ICAT).
The investigation was initiated after intelligence revealed Daw was operating across social media and digital messaging platforms to communicate with an individual he believed was a child under 16 years of age.
During these interactions, Daw transmitted explicit sexual messages and actively sought to cultivate a sexual relationship.
In December 2024, specialist officers arrested Daw at his home address and seized a collection of digital devices and data storage equipment.
Forensic examinations of the hardware exposed a substantial volume of prohibited material, including indecent images of children, prohibited images of children, and records demonstrating active communication with multiple children online.
In total, digital forensic specialists recovered nearly 1,500 screenshots and screen recordings documenting online conversations, alongside stored indecent images and video files.
The digital evidence enabled law enforcement to identify and safeguard three children aged 12 and 13, with protective measures coordinated alongside regional police services and partner child protection agencies.
Daw appeared at Liverpool Crown Court where he entered guilty pleas to multiple charges concerning online child sexual exploitation.
On Tuesday, 8 September, the presiding judge handed Daw an immediate custodial sentence of three years and six months (42 months).
The court also made Daw subject to a 10-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) containing strict restrictions regarding internet access and digital device use, and ordered him to remain on the Sex Offenders Register for life.
Release Calculation: Under standard UK determinate sentencing legislation, Daw is required to serve one-half (21 months / one year and nine months) of his 42-month sentence in prison custody before becoming eligible for automatic statutory release on licence. Upon release, Daw will serve the remainder of the term under strict supervision by the Probation Service in the community until the expiration of the full sentence.
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