A Swindon man has been sentenced to seven years in prison after admitting to carrying out sexual offences against children.
Robert Mulhern (24) from Twickenham Close, Swindon pleaded guilty to four counts of sexual offences against two boys (under 16), these were: incite/cause sexual activity with a boy under 13, incite/cause sexual activity with a child under 16, two counts of sexual communications with a child and five counts of breaching a previous sexual harm prevention order.
The incidents took place between February and July this year, where Mulhern contacted the boys in Bury, Lancashire via on-line gaming sessions.
Investigators from both Wiltshire Police and Greater Manchester Police worked together to bring Mulhern to justice.
He pleaded guilty to all nine charges at Swindon Crown Court on 9 September 2017; he was sentenced at the same court on Friday 24 November 2017.
Det Con Penny Andrews said: “I welcome this sentencing, as it reflects the seriousness of these offences and the impact they have had on the children involved.
“I’d like to thank each of the victims for their bravery in coming forward and recounting what is obviously a distressing time in their lives.
“I hope it gives these young victims some form of closure and enables them to move on with their lives knowing justice has been done.
“I would like to take this opportunity to encourage anyone who may have been a victim of sex abuse to report it to police.
“We will investigate, provide you with the full support you need, and do all that we can to bring to justice offenders like Mulhern.
“This is a great example of Forces working together – officers from Wiltshire Police and Greater Manchester Police using their joint experience and expertise to gather evidence leading to his imprisonment.”
Please contact police on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
Victims can also seek support and counselling from the Sexual Assault Referral Centre (SARC) based at the New Swindon Sanctuary – they can be contacted on the 24-hour helpline 0808 168 0024.
