Robert Ive jailed after grooming teenager on Facebook Internet site

Within just a few weeks, through endless conversations over the Internet, he had told the 13-year-old how much he cared for her and even convinced her they should meet. But behind the façade, the man she thought had become her boyfriend was in fact a 29- year-old paedophile grooming her for sex.

Depraved Robert Ive is today starting a four-year jail term after luring the vulnerable girl into his clutches and having under-age sex with her on three occasions.

It’s thought the girl, who had been bullied at school and “sought solace” in her laptop computer, had only been in contact with him for a matter of months, if not weeks, before she succumbed to his charm.

It’s not the first time Ive has been hauled before the courts for sickening behaviour with a child, having previously been convicted of sexually touching a ten-year-old girl he approached in a swimming pool.

At Southampton Crown Court he was described as “a real danger to young children”.

Judge Tom Longbotham told Ive, who pleaded guilty to three counts of sexual activity with a child aged 13-18, his conduct had been predatory.

He said: “You identified her and you had sex with her. It seems that was the only reason to contact her. You took every opportunity to have sex with her.”

Ive’s behaviour – thought to be the first Facebook grooming case in Hampshire – was only uncovered by detectives when a hunt was launched for the 13-year-old who had vanished from her Southampton home.

Some 30 police officers were involved in the search, after she stormed out of her house following a family row over who she was contacting on social networking sites.

The girl, who cannot be identified, then rang Ive who picked her up and took her to his north Hampshire home to spend the night.

Her disappearance sparked a major investigation involving specialist units examining her phone and computer to see who she was in contact with.

The girl’s mother also made desperate attempts to contact her daughter before Ive drove her back to the outskirts of the city the following morning and left her to make her own way home. She then revealed how she had been having sex at Ive’s instigation, at her home when her mother was asleep, as well as at his rented bedsit in Cambridge Road, Farnborough.

Ive told her he was 26 and though she warned him she was 13, he reassured her: “Age doesn’t matter.” Before his capture, Ive, who worked as a cloakroom attendant in Yates’ Wine Lodge, was spending hours online.

He used Facebook – under the guise of “special guy” although he never showed his picture or gave his real name – and also MSN, where he nicknamed himself “kute_guy69” and somehow befriended the girl.

Detectives believe Ive could have more victims across the country and say investigations are continuing to determine if he has been in contact with other schoolgirls on his computer.

He is now behind bars and has been banned from working with under-age girls in the future, and placed on the sex offenders’ register indefinitely.

But the case is one that will shock parents and raises the question of just how safe children are on the Internet, and what can be done to protect them? Ive’s conviction comes as Facebook has unveiled plans to transform its privacy settings, making it easier for members to stop their personal information being viewed by people they don’t know.

Detective Inspector Simon Baker, who led the investigation, said: “Children want to grow up so quickly now and some girls in their early teens can have a tendency to think they are older and more independent than they really are.

“They think they know their minds, that their parents don’t know what’s best for them and they go off on their own. They don’t realise they are incredibly vulnerable in these situations and there are people out there who will take advantage.

“The method of choice for paedophiles wanting to engage with young females is through the Internet.

“They can hide their true identify and make false promises to their potential victims, making them believe that they love them, care for them and will look after them. These men will say anything to try and gain the trust of those they are conversing with, all the time hiding their true intentions.”

A spokeswoman for Facebook said: “We are deeply concerned by both the crimes committed by Robert Ive and his determination to groom young people online. We have co-operated with the police in this matter and disabled his profile when this came to light, and will continue to work with them in any ongoing investigation.

“This case serves as a reminder that all Internet users must use extreme caution when talking to or meeting people they only know via the Internet.

“Facebook’s top priority is to maintain and improve safety for our users.

“Educating young people about safety online is vital and that is why we recently launched the UK’s biggest campaign on this issue. This involves a £5m initiative aimed solely at teaching young people to take responsible decisions online.”

Additional reporting by John Hoskins