In 2018, the Offender Database recorded that 42-year-old Robert Charles Cobane was jailed for 19 years for the repeated rape and sexual abuse of two young girls. Cobane—of Painswick Road, Wythenshawe, Greater Manchester—was sentenced at Manchester Crown Court on 9 November 2018. It was reported that the investigation into Cobane’s conduct began in August 2015, after the two victims bravely spoke to each other and decided to report the historical abuse that occurred during the mid-2000s.
The investigation established that Cobane targeted the girls when they were aged between seven and 12. Manchester Crown Court heard that the offences took place over several years at a property in Wythenshawe and in the back of a van. The prosecution reported that Cobane subjected both victims to abuse in front of each other and used death threats to ensure their silence, telling one victim he would kill her if she ever spoke out about the assaults.
Judicial Findings and Investigative Detail
The court reported that Cobane’s predatory behaviour included three counts of rape of a child under 13 and two counts of sexual assault by penetration. Manchester Crown Court heard that the “sustained and brutal” nature of the attacks required a significant custodial sentence to reflect the lifelong trauma inflicted on the victims. The investigation established that Cobane used the confined space of a vehicle to isolate his victims, demonstrating a calculated and predatory approach to his offending.
Judge-led proceedings resulted in a 19-year prison sentence for his actions in Wythenshawe and Greater Manchester. For his crimes, Cobane was also ordered to register as a sex offender for life. The judge praised the victims for their courage in coming forward nearly a decade after the abuse, noting that their testimony was vital in securing a conviction against a man who had used extreme threats of violence to maintain his “horrific” control over them.
Status and Statutory Requirements
For the records reported in Greater Manchester, the status of Robert Charles Cobane as of April 6, 2026, was as follows:
- Custodial Status: SERVING (19-year term; sentenced 2018; currently incarcerated).
- Sex Offenders Register: Notification requirements are active for life.
- Earliest Release: 2031 (Based on standard requirements to serve two-thirds of a long-term sentence for serious sexual offences).
- DBS Status: Placed on the Barring List (Indefinite ban on working with children).
- Legal Status: CONVICTED (Rape of a child under 13; Sexual assault by penetration; 5 counts total).
- Judicial Oversight: Sentenced at Manchester Crown Court; investigated by Greater Manchester Police.
- Criminal Record: Multiple rapes and penetrative assaults; Abuse committed in a vehicle and a residential property; Use of death threats to silence victims.
- Origin: Painswick Road, Wythenshawe, Greater Manchester.
Monitoring and Public Protection
Cobane is managed as a maximum-risk registered sex offender within the prison estate and remains a critical priority for the Greater Manchester Police Public Protection Unit. Due to the nature of his conduct—specifically the “multi-victim” nature of the abuse and his use of lethal threats—his management is a priority. Authorities state that his history of abusing children in front of one another indicates a high level of psychological depravity and a predatory drive that is resistant to reform.
As a registered sex offender for life, the then 42-year-old’s details are permanently logged on the national police database. Authorities state that his eventual release will be subject to the most intensive Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA), including strict exclusion zones and non-contact orders regarding his victims. Any future residence in Wythenshawe or Greater Manchester will be rigorously monitored. Any breach of his lifelong conditions or any unauthorised proximity to children will result in immediate return to high-security custody to ensure the ongoing safety of the public from his demonstrated pattern of serial sexual violence.
QUESTION – Given that the offender used a van to facilitate the rape of a child and threatened to kill his victims, do you believe that “Premeditated Isolation” involving a vehicle should be a mandatory factor that triggers a whole-life tariff?
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