Robert Chown, a 49-year-old IT specialist from Purley, near Croydon in south London, was exposed as a prolific paedophile who operated on the dark web under the pseudonym 'FredHasFiveToes'. He joined a notorious messaging forum called 'The Sanctuary' in 2019, a platform infiltrated by the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) for harbouring individuals sharing child sexual abuse material.
Chown's activities spanned several years, during which he posted 11,966 times on the forum, targeting children as young as six years old from countries including Australia, the US, Denmark, the Netherlands, Russia, and Poland. In his introductory message upon joining, he explicitly stated his preferences for 'girls 8-11' and described his approach: 'as soon as I spot teasing, I’m all over them with compliments'. Posing as a teenage boy, Chown groomed both girls and boys online, coercing them into livestreaming sexual acts at his instruction from his home on Borrowdale Drive.
- He shared hundreds of indecent images and videos he had captured over years of exploitation.
- Chown also posted a photograph of a 12-year-old girl he had taken in person; she was later identified and safeguarded through collaboration between the FBI, the National Crime Agency (NCA), and child protection services.
- Investigators discovered 2,000 indecent images and videos of children in categories A-C on two mobile phones seized during his arrest in September 2023.
- Additionally, 204 entries in Google Translate were found, converting English phrases into Russian and Polish—languages used by Chown to incite children during live streams.
The investigation began when the FBI alerted the NCA to Chown's activities. NCA officers arrested him at his south London home, uncovering the full extent of his depraved operations. Chown pleaded guilty to 41 charges related to sexual offences against children at a previous hearing.
On Friday, 3 October 2025, at Croydon Crown Court, Chown was sentenced to 25 years' imprisonment, with an additional seven years on licence. He will remain on the sex offenders' register for life. NCA senior investigating officer Phil Eccles commented: 'Chown poses a significant danger to children, and our thorough investigation exposed him as a prolific offender who carried out depraved sexual abuse over a number of years. While this case is extremely distressing, we hope it reassures the public of our commitment to unmasking paedophiles who think they can operate anonymously online.'
Robbie Weber from the Crown Prosecution Service added: 'The lifelong physical and emotional trauma caused to victims by men like Chown cannot be understated. Chown has himself admitted to having a long term extreme interest in child sexual abuse imagery. He was a key player in coercing children to engage in being filmed or photographed committing non-consensual sexual acts. I hope this conviction and sentence sends a clear message that the CPS will continue to relentlessly prosecute and pursue justice for those who sexually exploit children, whenever and wherever that abuse took place.'
The case highlights the critical role of international cooperation, with the NCA working alongside the FBI and Europol to dismantle online networks facilitating child sexual exploitation. Chown's sentence reflects the severity of his offences, which affected thousands of young victims globally.