A FORMER teacher and senior Jehovah’s Witness who tried to abduct a young girl on a Flintshire housing estate is back behind bars today.
Robert Edward Bill, 56, has been sentenced for an admitted an attempted abduction in Holywell and breaching a sexual offences prevention order while out on bail.
Judge Elgan Edwards jailed him for 30 months and disqualified him from working with children.
In September 2008, Bill had also been convicted of attempted abduction, an indecent assault and possessing indecent images of children.
After serving 523 days of a six-year prison sentence, he lodged an appeal against the attempted abduction conviction on January 19 and was out on bail pending an appeal hearing.
But Simon Medland, prosecuting at Warrington Crown Court yesterday, said Bill had violated a sexual offences prevention order imposed while he was out on bail by looking up videos of children on the website youtube.com.
“On Monday, August 2, at a family gathering of the defendant, one of the family members had become suspicious and looked at the browser history on his computer,” said Mr Medland.
“The family then challenged the defendant and he admitted to it.”
Mr Medland said Bill then called one of the officers connected with the case and said ‘I have done something silly.’.
“He had gone to youtube and was looking at images of children nine to 11 years old.
“He said he had been looking at children of a young age but they were not pornographic images.
“Nonetheless, it was an obvious breach of the sexual offences prevention order.”
Mr Medland said the attempted abduction took place at about 4.30pm on June 22, 2007.
A young girl who was aged five at the time was walking home from a playground on an estate in Holywell. Bill had been sitting there in his car for about 90 minutes.
“As she was walking home, he pulled over on to the wrong side of the road and got out, leaving the door open,” Mr Medland said.
“He asked her if she had seen a cat or a black cat. Of good fortune, this exchange was seen by the girl’s mother from an upstairs window.
“Also by sheer chance, her uncle happened to be walking by. Her uncle told her to go home. As it was, the defendant was unable to complete the abduction of the child.”
Mr Medland added a short time later Bill was seen driving outside another estate where some children were playing in the street.
The first trial was in June 2008 but the jury could not reach a verdict. A retrial was called and Bill was convicted of attempted abduction.
After he had lodged an appeal, it was ruled that Bill had already served his sentences for indecent assault and possession of indecent images and could be released on bail pending an appeal hearing on the alleged attempted abduction.
David Potter, defending, said before the abduction, Bill had been living at home with his wife and four sons.
He said: “He had a business called Play Zones, setting up play equipment, which was doing well.
“That all came to a crashing end when he was arrested for child abduction in June 2007.
“He was investigated quite promptly, his computer was taken from his own address. He has been in jail from October 2007 to January 2010.”
He added Bill should be given some credit for changing his plea to guilty because the child and her mother would not now have to give evidence.
“This is a man who has now admitted he has a problem.
“He has said ‘I need to put a stop to this’. He had videos of children playing. None of the videos themselves is unlawful. There are many millions of such videos on such sites.”
Mr Potter said Bill had not been loitering near schools or playgrounds and had not been staying where he was not allowed to be.
Sentencing Bill, of The Roe, St Asaph, Judge Edwards said: “An attempted abduction such as in this case is each parent’s worst nightmare.
“You were cruising, looking for a young child to molest.
“Happily, the actions of the mother and her uncle prevented this from taking place.
“The public may have some comfort that you will be monitored by police from North
Wales. Hopefully that will help you and more importantly help the children of North Wales.
“You must be very careful in the future for if you commit another offence you will serve a very, very long time.”