Bodmin Parkway sting leads to court sentencing for man who groomed supposed child

A man with autism who was confronted by online paedophile hunters after attempting to meet what he believed was an underage girl for sex has been warned that a custodial sentence would be “particularly intolerable” for him.

Robert Hannah, 55, had been using social media platforms, including Facebook, to contact young girls over several months. Truro Crown Court heard that he repeatedly initiated inappropriate conversations, despite having mild learning difficulties and limited social understanding.

Prosecutors outlined how, between December 2023 and May 2024, Hannah approached five girls online, some only 12 years old. He told them he wanted to kiss and hug them, hold their hands and become their “secret boyfriend”.

One of the profiles he targeted was a girl named ‘Chelsea’. Believing she was around 10 or 12, he asked her to send him photographs of herself and sent explicit images of his own genitals in return.

The court was told that the exchanges escalated to the point where Hannah, who lives at Manor Court in Wadebridge, encouraged ‘Chelsea’ to deceive her mother and travel alone by train to Bodmin Parkway. He told her they would have sex — using a condom so she “wouldn’t get pregnant” — and that the pair would then be “married in secret”.

In reality, none of the girls existed. Each profile had been created by a group of online paedophile hunters who monitor social media for suspected offenders. Despite several “alarm bells”, including the child’s exaggerated enthusiasm about marriage, Hannah continued to believe the conversations were genuine.

The group behind the decoy accounts coordinated with another team of Cornwall-based hunters, who arranged to intercept Hannah at Bodmin railway station on the day of the planned meeting. When he arrived, expecting to meet the child, he was confronted and detained in a citizens’ arrest.

Devon and Cornwall Police were called to the scene, and officers were handed a detailed dossier compiled by the group. Hannah was subsequently arrested and charged with five counts of attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child, along with one count of arranging or facilitating sexual activity with a child. He admitted all charges at the earliest opportunity.

Defending, Sophie Johns told the court that Hannah’s autism and mild learning difficulties contributed to his behaviour, describing him as socially isolated and emotionally immature. She said he relies on support to manage day‑to‑day tasks and has long struggled to navigate social boundaries.

Sophie Johns, defending, said:

"He struggles with social boundaries. In the past he has spent time in the pub drinking just to make social contact with others. He struggles to function in society without support."

Image: Devon and Cornwall Police