In 2018, the Offender Database recorded that Robert Silverthorne, then 54, of Carousel Lane, Weston-super-Mare, Somerset, was jailed for two years for attempting to incite sexual activity with a child. On Thursday, 21 June 2018, the defendant appeared at Cardiff Crown Court for sentencing. The court reported that Silverthorne groomed what he believed to be a 15-year-old girl on social media, but the account was a decoy operated by the group PH Balance.
The investigation established that Silverthorne arranged to meet the decoy in Cardiff in August 2017. South Wales Police reported that upon his arrival, he was confronted by the hunting group who blocked his vehicle until officers arrived. The prosecution reported that despite pleading not guilty, a jury at Cardiff Crown Court took only minutes to convict him of four charges, including attempted sexual communication and attempting to meet a child following sexual grooming.
Judicial Findings and Investigative Detail
The court reported that Silverthorne’s actions involved the persistent sending of inappropriate images and texts to a minor. Cardiff Crown Court heard how the defendant’s predatory focus led him to travel from Somerset to Wales to facilitate a physical meeting. The prosecution reported that while the four separate convictions totalled 44 months, the judge ordered the sentences to be served concurrently, resulting in a two-year custodial term in Cardiff.
The judge noted the seriousness of the grooming process and the clear intent to engage in sexual activity with a child. For his actions in Weston-super-Mare and Cardiff, Silverthorne was handed a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO). The judge noted that the defendant’s continued denial of the offences throughout the trial demonstrated a lack of remorse for his predatory behaviour toward what he believed was a vulnerable 15-year-old girl.
Sentence and Statutory Requirements
For his crimes in Wales, Robert Silverthorne was handed:
- Custodial Sentence: Two years in prison (June 2018).
- Sex Offenders Register: Notification requirements were activated for 10 years.
- SHPO: Subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order.
- Judicial Oversight: Sentenced at Cardiff Crown Court following a jury conviction.
- Identity Update: Reported to have changed his name to Rob Fox.
- Origin: Carousel Lane, Weston-super-Mare (Now residing in Bristol, Somerset).
Monitoring and Public Protection
Silverthorne, now reportedly known as Rob Fox, is managed under Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA) by Avon and Somerset Police and the National Probation Service in the Bristol area. Due to his history of using social media to target children and his subsequent move from Weston-super-Mare to Bristol, his management is subject to high-level oversight by the Public Protection Unit.
As a member of the Sex Offenders Register, Silverthorne must comply with notification requirements regarding his identity and residence—including his name change to Rob Fox—until 2028. Authorities state that his history of sending explicit media and attempting to travel across borders to meet a child necessitates permanent and stringent monitoring of his conduct and digital access. Any further sexual misconduct or breach of his SHPO in Bristol, Weston-super-Mare, or elsewhere will result in immediate arrest and a return to the court system for further incarceration.
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