Robert Hicks, a 72-year-old serial sex offender from Oldbury, has been sentenced to four years in prison after police discovered indecent images of children on his laptop while he was caught watching pornography in a library. Hicks, who has an extensive criminal history with more than 100 offences related to child exploitation, has repeatedly breached court orders designed to protect the public.
Wolverhampton Crown Court revealed that Hicks was under an indefinite sexual harm prevention order issued in October 2015. His offender manager received reports that Hicks had accessed pornography on a laptop at a local library, which was not registered with authorities as required. On investigation, police found a laptop hidden beneath a mattress at Hicks’ residence, containing over 890 accessible and 630 inaccessible indecent images of children, some as young as two years old.
The images dated from November 2017 to July 2025, and Hicks’ search history showed deliberate attempts to find illegal content involving young females. Despite multiple prison sentences over the past two decades, Hicks has continued to engage in these criminal acts driven by what the court described as a ‘twisted desire’.
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During sentencing, Recorder David Lock KC condemned Hicks’ persistent offending, emphasizing the direct harm caused to children through the consumption of these images. Hicks, who appeared via video link from HMP Fosse Way, admitted to three counts of making indecent images of children and breaching his sexual harm prevention order.
The judge warned that any further offending upon release would result in a longer prison term, highlighting the serious consequences of repeated violations. Hicks’ case underscores ongoing challenges in managing persistent sex offenders and protecting vulnerable children from abuse.