Victim advocate charged with distributing child pornography

Associated Press
December 11, 2020

https://apnews.com/article/connecticut-child-pornography-hartford-courts-sexual-abuse-f8ebfdc8935749290514b7e8d0ffddd7

A victim advocate for the Connecticut court system was charged Friday with distributing child pornography over a cellphone app.

Federal prosecutors and the FBI said Robert Eccleston, 56, of Canton, used the app Kik in August and September to distribute numerous pictures and videos of child porn, including images depicting the sexual abuse of toddlers and prepubescent children.

Eccleston is a victim services advocate at the state courthouse in Hartford. It was not immediately clear if he has a lawyer who could respond to the allegations. A call to a number listed for him was not picked up.

Eccleston is detained pending a court hearing scheduled for Dec. 14. He appeared via video conference before a federal magistrate on Friday.

Prosecutors said the arrest is part of the Justice Department’s Project Safe Childhood Initiative, which aims to protect children from sexual abuse and exploitation.