"Predatory sex offender" in Newhaven found responsible for seven child sex offences

Robert Daniels, 75, was a licensee of the Engineer pub and found responsible for seven counts of sexual offences against a child.

Mr Daniels, of Elm Court in Newhaven, was given a seven-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) at Hove Crown Court on Wednesday, November 23.

The SHPO severely restricts Mr Daniels access to children and prohibit him from contacting his victim and her family. He has also been ordered not to enter the Engineer, nor Railway Road, in Newhaven.

Detective Sergeant Nick Green, from the Safeguarding Investigations Unit in Eastbourne, said: “Robert Daniels is a predatory sex offender who groomed not only a child, but an entire community.

“I would like to thank his young victim for the incredible bravery she has shown in reporting these crimes and supporting the investigation through to prosecution.

“While the unique circumstances of this case meant a custodial sentence was not possible, the verdict delivered on Wednesday confirms Daniels was responsible for these horrific crimes and holds him to account.

“The Sexual Harm Prevention Order issued, as well as the extension of Daniels’ appearance on the Sex Offenders’ Register, should ensure he is not able to cause any further harm to the victim and her family, while protecting other children in the community.”

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The trial was heard despite Daniels being considered not fit to enter a plea due to suffering from dementia.

A jury returned a verdict stating that he had committed all the offences on the indictment.

Daniels had been on the been on the Sex Offenders Register since 2018 for an unrelated sexual assault and will now be added to the register for an additional seven years.