The Purley IT specialist was exposed after the FBI uncovered ‘The Sanctuary’ paedophile network
A Croydon paedophile has been jailed for 18 years for posing as a teenage boy to incite other children into performing sex acts. Robert Chown, 49, recorded thousands of children engaging in sexual activity from his Purley home before sharing pictures and videos with like-minded paedophiles
The IT specialist of Borrowdale Drive appeared at Croydon Crown Court on Friday, October 3 where he was sentenced to 25 years – seven of which on licence – after admitting 41 offences at a previous hearing. In April 2022 the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) launched an investigation into a private online messaging forum named ‘The Sanctuary’ dedicated to the sexual exploitation of children.
Detectives found Chown was a key contributor using the ‘FredHasFiveToes’ username. His introductory message after joining the group in 2019 stated his preferences were girls aged between eight and 11, adding “as soon as I spot teasing, I’m all over them with compliments”
He went on to share hundreds of abuse images in the forum that he’d captured over years of sexually exploiting children online. In one instance he posted an indecent photo of a 12-year-old girl that he had taken in person.
She was identified by the National Crime Agency and safeguarded by child protection services. He used his account to masquerade as a teenage boy to target thousands of children across the world.
Girls and boys as young as six were groomed by Chown to live stream sexual acts at his instruction, which he would capture and share with other paedophiles on ‘The Sanctuary’ and the dark web. His heinous crimes were brought to an end when detectives arrived at his Purley home and arrested him in September 2023, seizing two mobile phones.
Investigators found 2,000 indecent images of children. They also discovered 204 entries into Google Translate of sexual instructions translated from English into Russian and Polish.
These were used by Chown on live streams to incite children around the world to perform sexual acts on themselves.
NCA Senior Investigating Officer Phil Eccles said: “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 that can operate anonymously online.
“Work with our international partners in the FBI and Europol has been key to this investigation. Today’s result is testament to the hard work of our investigative team and it is only right that Chown received a lengthy custodial sentence given the severity of his offending.”
Robbie Weber of 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 prolific presence on the dark web, gaining notoriety amongst likeminded individuals who would access and share such vile and indecent material. 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. I encourage any victims of child sexual abuse and sexual violence to report the crimes committed against them to the police. You are not alone and there is always help available.”
Sign up to our London Court & Crime newsletter for the latest major court updates and breaking news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up HERE
