Robert Johnson, a 38-year-old resident of Louis Street, off Spring Bank in Hull, was sentenced at Hull Crown Court for multiple offences related to indecent images of children and breaches of his sex offender conditions. This marked the fifth time Johnson had been imprisoned for such crimes, highlighting his chronic and deep-seated sexual interest in children.
The case came to light when a probation officer conducted a routine check of Johnson's mobile phone on 27 August, as part of his ongoing management in the community following a sexual harm prevention order issued on 19 January 2018. The officer discovered two unregistered email addresses and noted that Johnson's Google search history had been deleted, with 937 searches removed. An indecent image of a 13-year-old girl was found, prompting police involvement and the seizure of the device.
- Upon examination, the phone contained 16 Category A images (the most serious), 11 Category B images, and 36 Category C images of children, including those aged five, seven, and nine.
- Additionally, 39 prohibited images, described by Johnson as cartoons, were discovered.
Johnson also admitted to failing to register his address within three days of his release from prison, breaching his requirements as a convicted sex offender. Maya Hanson, prosecuting, detailed these findings at the hearing. Hannah Turner, mitigating, acknowledged the severity of the offences, noting Johnson's guilty pleas and that there was no evidence of attempts to contact real children. Turner stated, 'There is very little that can be said by way of mitigation,' and added that Johnson 'fully accepts the offences and he has throughout the court procedures.'
Judge Mark Bury remarked on Johnson's ingrained behaviour, saying, 'It's clear to me that you have a chronic and deep-seated sexual interest in children, albeit that you have not committed contact offences and there is no evidence that you are likely to in the future.' The judge emphasised the harm caused by viewing such images, stating, 'Every time someone like Johnson looked at indecent images of children to "get a sexual thrill" out of doing so, it furthered child abuse.'
This sentencing followed previous convictions in 2014, 2017, and 2021, including a three-year jail term, an 18-month sentence, and a 20-month imprisonment in February 2024 for similar breaches and possession offences. In the 2024 case, police had found 512 indecent images on another phone, including videos of children as young as three. Johnson, an avid gamer, expressed hope to retain his Xbox and consoles, but the court imposed stricter measures.
The article, reported by Mark Naylor for Hull Live on 28 January 2026, underscores Johnson's repeated failure to comply with court orders designed to prevent reoffending.