Robert Jones

Robert Jones, also known as Richard Lister, appeared before Hull Crown Court after admitting four offences of breaching a 10-year sexual harm prevention order. The order had been imposed at Leeds Crown Court on 11 October 2019 following his convictions for sexual activity with a child, exposure, and causing a child to engage in a sexual act.

Jones, of North Street, Bridlington, repeatedly failed to disclose his previous sexual offences when visiting homes where children were present. On 29 June and 4 August the previous year, he visited a man’s home in Hull after meeting him through selling tropical fish on Gumtree. Despite being in the company of the man’s children, including occasions when a child was left alone with him, Jones did not reveal his convictions. He falsely claimed his previous prison sentence was for fighting and drug offences.

In a separate series of incidents, Jones met another family through a shared interest in tropical fish. The family travelled from Liverpool to Bridlington to visit him. Jones allowed the man’s daughter to play with his dog and later hosted a barbecue at his flat on 29 June, during which a child was left alone with him while her parents collected a pet rabbit he had given her.

Prosecutor Georgia Bradley told the court there had been “a degree of persistence” and “four separate breaches over a matter of months.” Jones had previously been jailed in 2023 for breaching the same order and failing to comply with his registration requirements.

Mitigating, Julia Baggs said Jones had pleaded guilty at the first opportunity and accepted he had made a “foolish decision” due to loneliness following his release from custody. Recorder Bryan Cox KC described the case as “last chance saloon,” warning Jones that any further offending would likely result in him being treated as dangerous and receiving a lengthy prison sentence. Jones received a 16-month prison sentence, suspended, along with a six-month monitoring order, 20 days’ rehabilitation activity requirement, and a 26-session probation programme.