Dad Banned From Being Alone With Eight-Year-Old Daughter After 'Accidentally' Downloading Child Porn

Dad Banned From Being Alone With Eight-Year-Old Daughter After 'Accidentally' Downloading Child Porn

Caters

A dad has been banned from being alone with his young daughter after he told police he had accidently downloaded child porn.

Nigel Robinson, 43, a plumber from Hull, told police he had inadvertently downloaded shocking pictures of 'young girls' while trying to download music. Officers then contacted social services, who have seized his laptop and are investigating the case.

Until they have completed their investigation, he is banned from spending time alone with his eight-year-old daughter, which could be up to a year, because police say the case has "to go in a queue".

"When I saw these images I wanted to do something about it. I didn't want anyone else's children to be exploited in this way," says Nigel.

"I can categorically state 1,000 per cent there will be nothing inappropriate on my computer other than the files I told the police about. I can understand there needs to be caution. It is a very serious matter, but to be told it may be a year before the conclusion is just madness. I cannot take my daughter to the park, swimming or anything.

"It has been a nightmare. I feel like I am guilty until proven innocent. That is not the way I understood the British justice system to work. I wish I had just binned the laptop and then none of this would have happened.

"Whoever was uploading this will be miles away by now, yet I'm under the finger of suspicion."

Nigel says he was trying to download music from a file-sharing website - which he accepts is illegal - when the incident happened. When he opened a folder within the files he had downloaded, he found a file with girls' names on:

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When I opened some of them up, I realised they were young girls. I immediately called my wife. I was panicking. I asked her what she thought I should do and her response was to call the police.

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"I was willing to take it on the chin for downloading the music. I half expected to get arrested for that but felt it was important because someone was obviously uploading this."

Humberside Police told the couple that statements would need to be taken by not only police officers, but also by East Riding of Yorkshire Council's social services department. Nigel was then told he would not be allowed unsupervised access to his daughter until the investigation was over.

Nigel's wife, Liz, 32, a care home assistant manager, said the ban was causing huge problems to family life. As she works night shifts, she has to arrange for someone to be in the house with Nigel and their daughter when she is working:

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Why does my daughter have to suffer? Technically my daughter could miss a year of her life with her dad. I think it's bureaucracy gone mad.

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A police spokesperson said: "We are conducting an investigation that has resulted in the confiscation of a laptop, in order for the relevant inquiries to take place. This is a standard procedure for this type of investigation.

"The laptop is sent away to be examined and, as this forms the basis for a number of different investigations, Humberside Police has no control over the amount of time it takes for the laptop to be returned."

East Riding Social Services said in a statement: "The council's social care team considers that, on the information it presently has about this case, it is a proportionate response to request that Mr Robinson should not have unsupervised access with his own or other children.

"The council will keep the case under review but cannot comment further as this is an on-going investigation."

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