A Chalfont man has been sentenced to jail time after pleading guilty to possession of child pornography and engaging in sexual communications with a 10-year-old girl via the social media app TIYA.
Robert Leslie, 49, was sentenced to 1½ to 3 years in county jail on Friday, 10 months after pleading guilty to felony counts of possession of child pornography and criminal use of a communication facility, as well as a misdemeanor count of corruption of minors. Leslie was also ordered to serve seven years’ probation upon his release, court records show.
Sentencing notes indicate Leslie has been classified as a sexually violent predator, and he is prohibited from having any contact with minors and using any device with internet access. Court records note Leslie’s bail was revoked in January following his guilty pleas, and he will receive credit for time served between Jan. 5 and Oct. 6.
Investigators with the New Britain Township Police Department were contacted in December 2021 by the Helena Police Department in Montana, regarding an investigation into inappropriate and sexual-based communications involving a 10-year-old girl and an unknown suspect that had been traced back to the Chalfont area. Helena Police provided a phone number that the suspect had given to the victim, which local investigators traced back to Leslie, according to charging documents.
The investigation was then handed off from the Helena Police Department to the New Britain Township Police Department.
According to the criminal complaint, Leslie initiated contact with the victim in July 2021 via the social app TIYA — an app that provides a platform for public and private interactive group chats. Leslie allegedly told the victim he was a 16-year-old male, repeatedly asked the victim for sexual photos, and sent her an image of a teen male claiming it was him.
When the victim asked if it was ok for a 10-year-old to be dating a 16-year-old, Leslie said he was ok with it and told her he loved her, the report states. Police also said Leslie and the victim also roleplayed sexual scenarios.
In February 2022, investigators met with Leslie and his wife outside of his home, at which point Leslie denied involvement and said he had never heard of the TIYA app, police said. However, when Leslie consented to a phone search, investigators said they found the image of the teen male that Leslie had sent to the victim purporting to be himself.
The phone was then seized as evidence, and a forensic download of its contents would later reveal 43-images of child pornography, police said.
The report states Leslie later provided a written confession to police, indicating he had communicated with up to 10 other juvenile females, some of which sent nude photos of themselves.
Leslie was initially arrested and arraigned on Aug. 18, 2022.
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