Robert Barnes, then aged 28, of Farhalls Crescent, Horsham, West Sussex, was sentenced to five years and six months’ imprisonment (66 months) at Maidstone Crown Court on 20 August 2015 after being convicted of grooming and sexually abusing a teenage girl.
The prosecution followed an inquiry led by Kent Police’s Public Protection Unit after safeguarding concerns were reported in June 2014.
The court heard that Barnes initially met the victim through an acquaintance who had connections to her family.
Between May and June 2014, Barnes initiated contact with the girl using the WhatsApp mobile application, using the platform to send sexually inappropriate images of himself and attempting unsuccessfully to convince her to send similar photos.
The abuse subsequently escalated, with Barnes using his previous address in Nicolson Way, Sevenoaks, Kent, to commit sexual offences against the teenager.
Officers arrested Barnes at the Sevenoaks residence in June 2014. While Barnes exercised his right to make no comment during police interviews, detectives seized and forensically examined his mobile phone, recovering electronic messages demonstrating how he groomed the child.
Barnes pleaded not guilty to all charges, but following a Crown Court trial, a jury convicted him of:
- Three counts of sexual activity with a child under the age of 16
- Two counts of intent to entice a child to engage in sexual activity
- One count of grooming
Investigating officer Detective Constable David Turner condemned Barnes for exploiting a young and vulnerable person for his own gratification, confirming that Barnes was fully aware of his actions.
The presiding judge sentenced Barnes to five and a half years’ imprisonment and ordered him to sign the Sex Offenders Register for life.
Release Calculation: Under UK sentencing legislation governing sexual offences, Barnes was required to serve two-thirds (44 months / 3 years and 8 months) of his 66-month sentence in prison custody before becoming eligible for statutory release on licence. His projected release date was April 2019, whereupon he remained subject to licence conditions and supervision in the community until the expiration of the full term in February 2021.
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