After begin given a suspended sentence in 2015 Manchester Sex Offender Robert Emmerson has enjoyed almost a decade of raping and sexually assaulting women and young girls.
Robert Emmerson, A predatory sex offender who preyed on students in a remote Manchester underpass has been convicted of twelve sexual offences, following a successful prosecution by the Crown Prosecution Service.
Robert Emmerson, 40, asserted that he had been erroneously identified as the offender; nonetheless, after a trial at Manchester Crown Court, he was convicted of seven charges of exposure and five acts of sexual assault.
Alex Mann, Senior Crown Prosecutor for CPS North West, said: “Robert Emmerson is a sexual predator who targeted women and girls in broad daylight.
“His depraved actions were carried out solely for his own sexual gratification and have had a severe impact on those he attacked.
“Robert Emmerson showed no remorse, denying the offences and putting victims through the further trauma of having to relive their ordeal when giving evidence against him at a trial.
“I would like to thank the young women for reporting Robert Emmerson and helping the Crown Prosecution Service and Greater Manchester Police to bring him to justice.”
Between October 2023 and April 2024, Robert Emmerson committed 12 offences against 10 women and girls, the youngest of whom was 13 years old.
Most of the offences were committed in the underpass which runs under the Mancunian Way in Manchester, where he lay in wait for the young women to pass.
Robert Emmerson exposed his genitals, masturbated, and chased the young women, several were grabbed, wrestled to the ground and sexually assaulted.
The women described being: “shocked” and “terrified” by their ordeal and some said he was smiling during the incidents.
The Crown Prosecution Service worked with Greater Manchester Police to build a strong case to put before the jury, including eyewitness testimony, CCTV footage, data from Emmerson’s travel pass and cell site evidence showing the location of Emmerson’s phone during the attacks.
On 23 October 2024, Emmerson was found guilty of all 12 offences. He will be sentenced on 18 November 2024.
Notes to editors
Robert Emmerson (DOB 22/07/1984) is from Manchester.
UPDATE 01.02.2025
Robert Emmerson (22/07/1984) of Thirlmere Avenue was convicted of five charges of sexual assault and seven counts of indecent exposure after assaulting young women near the Mancunian Way, following a trial at Manchester Crown Court.
He was sentenced today (Thursday, 30 January 2025) at Manchester Crown Court to four years and six months in prison, accompanied by a lifelong Sexual Harm Prevention Order, after an investigation into multiple sexual assaults and indecent exposure incidents involving young women in Manchester City Centre from November 2023 to April 2024.
Several sexual assaults were reported to the police from November 2023 to April 2024. Victims indicated that Emmerson would trail the women as they walked alone. He indecently exposed himself and perpetrated sexual attacks in the subway beneath the Mancunian Way. He assaulted the women by seizing them from behind in a ‘bear hug’, traumatising them, before restraining them on the ground and molesting them.
Following multiple police reports of similar instances, detectives discerned a pattern of criminal behaviour and examined them as a connected series.
Detectives conducted a thorough investigation, meticulously reviewing hundreds of hours of CCTV footage, which revealed an unidentified male. This individual was observed arriving at the location after taking a bus from Wythenshawe and was spotted traversing the city centre following the assault on the women, before returning to Wythenshawe by bus.
During the interview, Emmerson was enquired about the CCTV footage depicting a person resembling him travelling to the city centre just before the initial incident and thereafter departing the city core soon after the offence. In response to this and every inquiry directed at him, Emmerson stated no comment.
Detectives, upon reviewing the CCTV footage, recognised the need of identifying a guy before he could strike again and sought public aid in his identification. The media disseminated his image, prompting some members of the public to identify the individual as Robert Emmerson. He was apprehended on 22 April 2024 at a location in Wythenshawe.
A coat was retrieved during the property search. The identical coat worn by Emmerson in the CCTV footage while escaping the scenes following his offences. Investigators reviewed his records in the police database and discovered that Emmerson was arrested in 2015. In this custody photograph, he donned the identical grey coat featuring a black collar.
Subsequent to his apprehension, five of Emmerson’s victims were assisted by officers when they identified him as their assailant during an identity parade.
Despite Emmerson’s pleRobert Emmerson (22/07/1984) of Thirlmere Avenue was convicted of five charges of sexual assault and seven counts of indecent exposure after assaulting young women near the Mancunian Way, following a trial at Manchester Crown Court.
He was sentenced today (Thursday, 30 January 2025) at Manchester Crown Court to four years and six months in prison, accompanied by a lifelong Sexual Harm Prevention Order, after an investigation into multiple sexual assaults and indecent exposure incidents involving young women in Manchester City Centre from November 2023 to April 2024.
Several sexual assaults were reported to the police from November 2023 to April 2024. Victims indicated that Emmerson would trail the women as they walked alone. He indecently exposed himself and perpetrated sexual attacks in the subway beneath the Mancunian Way. He assaulted the women by seizing them from behind in a ‘bear hug’, traumatising them, before restraining them on the ground and molesting them.
Following multiple police reports of similar instances, detectives discerned a pattern of criminal behaviour and examined them as a connected series.
Detectives conducted a thorough investigation, meticulously reviewing hundreds of hours of CCTV footage, which revealed an unidentified male. This individual was observed arriving at the location after taking a bus from Wythenshawe and was spotted traversing the city centre following the assault on the women, before returning to Wythenshawe by bus.
During the interview, Emmerson was enquired about the CCTV footage depicting a person resembling him travelling to the city centre just before the initial incident and thereafter departing the city core soon after the offence. In response to this and every inquiry directed at him, Emmerson stated no comment.
Detectives, upon reviewing the CCTV footage, recognised the need of identifying a guy before he could strike again and sought public aid in his identification. The media disseminated his image, prompting some members of the public to identify the individual as Robert Emmerson. He was apprehended on 22 April 2024 at a location in Wythenshawe.
A coat was retrieved during the property search. The identical coat worn by Emmerson in the CCTV footage while escaping the scenes following his offences. Investigators reviewed his records in the police database and discovered that Emmerson was arrested in 2015. In this custody photograph, he donned the identical grey coat featuring a black collar.
Subsequent to his apprehension, five of Emmerson’s victims were assisted by officers when they identified him as their assailant during an identity parade.
Despite Emmerson’s plea of not guilty, a jury unanimously convicted him of five counts of sexual assault and seven counts of indecent exposure at a trial at Manchester Crown Court.a of not guilty, a jury unanimously convicted him of five counts of sexual assault and seven counts of indecent exposure at a trial at Manchester Crown Court.
If you or anyone you know have been affected by the people highlighted in this article, then please report those individuals to the Police on 101 (999 if an emergency) or visit their online resources for further details of the options for reporting a crime. You can also make a report at Crimestoppers should you wish to be completely anonymous. There is help available on our support links page.