Former CT victim services advocate in Hartford court sentenced to 9 years in prison on child pornography charges
A man formerly employed as a victim services advocate at Superior Court in Hartford was sentenced this week to nine years in prison for sharing child pornography on a social messaging app while he worked in the courthouse.
Robert Eccleston, 58, was sentenced Monday to a total of 108 months in federal prison, followed by 10 years of supervised release, for distributing images and videos that showed the sexual abuse of children, according to the court documents and a statement from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Connecticut.
In 2020, the FBI started monitoring various public groups on the social media application Kik and flagged photos and videos sent by someone with the usernames “hartfordctguy” and “Mowgli100″ that showed toddlers and prepubescent children being sexually abused, records show.
In August and September 2020 Eccleston used accounts tied to those usernames to share numerous pornographic images and videos of toddlers and prepubescent children in several Kik groups, according to authorities. He also required people who wanted to join groups he was an administer of to send him videos of child sexual abuse to be let into the groups, records show. He was arrested on Dec. 11, 2020.
At the time Eccleston was sending these photos and videos and running these accounts, he was employed as a Victim Services Advocate for the Superior Court on Broad Street in Hartford.
These advocates work directly with victims of crimes to help protect their rights as their case, or a loved one’s case, moves through the judicial system. They advocate for victims, sit with them during hearings and through trials and are charged with making the process of seeking justice as comfortable, fair and just for them as possible.
“This case is a harsh reminder that the sexual exploitation of children occurs across all segments of our community,” Vanessa Roberts-Avery, U.S. Attorney for Connecticut, said in a statement.
“Based on the position this defendant held while engaging in such reprehensible conduct, this case represents a tremendous violation of trust on multiple levels,” Roberts-Avery said. “We thank the FBI and our other law enforcement partners for investigating and rooting out these crimes wherever they exist, and we further thank the dedicated professionals of the Office of Victim Services of the Judicial Branch of the State of Connecticut for their assistance and continued service to victims throughout Connecticut.”
Eccleston has been detained since his arrest. and in January of 2022 pleaded guilty to one count of distribution of child pornography. He was ordered by a judge to pay a total of $25,000 to four victims of his offense, $35,000 to the Child Pornography Victims Reserve, $5,000 to the Domestic Trafficking Victims Fund and a $30,000 fine, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
The investigation into Eccleston’s crimes was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with the assistance of the Avon Police Department. His case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Angel M. Krull.
“This case shines a light on why we in law enforcement exhaust all means available to protect our most vulnerable population,” said David Sundberg, FBI Special Agent in Charge on Eccleston’s case. “Sexual crimes against children will always be a top priority for the FBI.”
Eccleston prosecution’s was part of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Project Safe Childhood Initiative, which is aimed at protecting children from sexual abuse and exploitation.
To report cases of child exploitation, visit www.cybertipline.com.
