Man, 76, paid for children to be sexually abused

A 76-year-old man from West Sussex has pleaded guilty to 36 child abuse offences, including paying for children in the Philippines to be sexually abused to order.

Robert Pasteiner, from Old Broyle Road in Chichester, was initially identified through suspicious payments of more than £200,000 which he had made to individuals in Southeast Asia, some of whom had been caught facilitating live-streamed child sexual abuse.

He was then arrested in February 2023 at Heathrow Airport before boarding a flight to the Philippines, where he had arranged to meet a 12-year-old girl at a hotel.

Pasteiner appeared at Portsmouth Crown Court on Friday and will return there on 23 July for sentencing.

When apprehended at the airport, his luggage was searched and officers found presents including perfume and jewellery, along with condoms and Viagra.

A large quantity of Filipino Pesos and false documents were also concealed in his suitcase.

Searches of Pasteiner's home uncovered 15 electronic devices, six of which contained indecent images of children, and paperwork detailing who he had been speaking to abroad.

Among the documents were notes about how much he had paid and what the amounts were for, some of which were said to have been for "a show".

The National Crime Agency worked closely with the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) and Philippine National Police (PNP) to identify and safeguard Pasteiner's victims and arrest those who had organised their abuse on his behalf.

Pasteiner's long list of offences included causing or inciting the sexual exploitation of a child, attempted sexual communication with a child, arranging or facilitating the sexual exploitation of a child and making indecent images of children.

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