Newport Paedophile Jailed for Bath Photo Demand to ‘Teen’

A Newport paedophile has been sentenced to 32 months in prison after asking what he believed was a 14-year-old girl to send him naked photographs whilst in the bath 📱⚖️

Robert Mellon, 57, of Church Road, Newport, thought he was speaking to an underage schoolgirl called Ella on social media between March and April this year. However, he was actually chatting to paedophile hunters Dank Dragon conducting a sting operation.

Cardiff Crown Court heard how Mellon’s first message to the decoy profile was: “Hi sexy!” Prosecutor Abigail Jackson told the court: “The defendant thought she was a 14-year-old girl from Cardiff. He asked her if she had a sexual boyfriend and the conversations carried on for a number of weeks.”

Miss Jackson added: “The defendant asked Ella if she shaved her genitalia and he told her she was beautiful and sexy. He talked to her in detail about having sex and asked for some pictures of her naked when she was in the bath. The defendant thought he was speaking to an actual 14-year-old girl.”

The serial sex offender has 14 previous convictions for 27 offences spanning more than two decades. His lengthy criminal history includes:

• 2011: Three counts of sexual activity with a child under 16
• 2018: 12 months for attempting to incite a child to engage in sexual activity
• May 2021: 15 months for breaching a sexual harm prevention order (SHPO) and attempting to engage in sexual activity with a child
• May 2022: 12 months for breaching an SHPO
• February 2023: 16 months for the same offence

Mellon admitted attempting to breach a sexual harm prevention order and attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child.

Miss Jackson described the latest offending as “a serious and persistent attempt to breach the order” which was “aggravated by his prevention convictions.”

Judge Paul Hobson delivered a stark assessment, telling Mellon: “It is very plain to me that you are a paedophile whose sexual interest in children shows no sign of abating.”

Mellon will serve half of his 32-month sentence in custody before being released. He must register as a sex offender and is subject to an indefinite sexual harm prevention order.