Paedophile jailed after being extradited from the US for crimes committed in Lancashire
A paedophile has been jailed for nearly 50 years following his extradition from the United States after committing sexual offences in Rossendale.
Robert Flynn, an American citizen, was working in the UK in the 1970s when he sexually abused a teenage boy over a number of years.
Flynn returned to the US in 1976, but an extradition process was launched after the victim reported the abuse to police in 2021.
In May 2025, Flynn was arrested at an address in Ohio by the U.S. Marshals Northern Ohio Violent Fugitive Task Force and the U.S. Marshals Office of International Operations.
He was flown back to the UK and arrested at Heathrow Airport in June.
Flynn, 77, of Dunham Road, Maple Heights, Ohio, earlier admitted four counts of indecent assault on a boy under 16.
He appeared at Preston Crown Court today where he was sentenced to nine years and eight months in prison and given a lifetime Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO).
In a statement, the victim, now in his 60s, said Flynn’s abuse had affected his whole adult life but that, with support from friends, he had survived and was rebuilding his life after coming forward to police.
Det Insp Mick Cross, of the Major Crime Review Team, praised the victim’s courage and said: “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.”
Anyone affected by sexual abuse can contact Lancashire Police via 101, or report offences online at https://www.lancashire.police.uk/ro/report/lb/report-rape-and-sexual-assault/.