A paedophile has been jailed after he was extradited from the United States to face justice for crimes he committed in East Lancashire almost 50 years ago.
Robert Flynn, an American citizen, was working in the UK in the 1970s when he sexually abused his teenage victim over a number of years.
Flynn returned to the US in 1976 but after the victim reported what had happened to him to police in 2021 an extradition process was launched.
And in May 2025 the U.S. Marshals Northern Ohio Violent Fugitive Task Force (NOVFTF) and the U.S. Marshals Office of International Operations (OIO) arrested Flynn at an address in Ohio.
He was flown back to the UK and was arrested at Heathrow Airport in June this year.
Flynn, 77, of Dunham Road, Maple Heights, Ohio, earlier admitted four counts of indecent assault on a boy under 16. The crimes were committed in the Rossendale area.
He appeared at Preston Crown Court today (Thursday, September 11th) where he was jailed for nine years and eight months. He was also given a lifetime Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO)
In a statement the victim, now in his 60s, said Flynn’s actions had affected his whole adult life but that with the help and support of friends he had survived and after coming forward and reporting the abuse to police he was rebuilding his life and was ready to be happy.
The investigating officer Mick Cross, of the Major Crime Review Team, said: “First and foremost I would like to thank the victim in this case for having the courage to come forward and speak about what happened to him. Flynn’s abuse has had such a significant impact on the course of his adult life, and I hope the fact that Flynn has admitted his guilt and now been jailed for his crimes gives the victim some sense that justice has been done and that he can continue to move forward with his life.
“I also hope that the fact that we have secured justice after so long and after securing Flynn’s return to the UK might give others who have suffered similar abuse the confidence to come forward and report it safe in the knowledge we will investigate professionally and with sensitivity.”
If you or someone you know has been a victim of sexual abuse you can report it here Report rape, sexual assault and other sexual offences | Lancashire Constabulary or you can call us on 101.
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