Aldinga Beach Caravan Park resident Robert ‘Bob’ Saunders jailed for indecently assaulting 7yo boy

An elderly man who claimed he was not sexually aroused when committing a vile assault on a young boy has been slammed by a judge and jailed for several years.

An elderly man living at a popular southern suburbs caravan park has been jailed for over four years after he committed a vile assault on a seven-year-old boy.

Robert “Bob” Saunders, 74, was told by a judge he took away the boy’s innocence and sense of safety, as well as shattering his parents’ lives.

During sentencing, the District Court heard Saunders, a resident of the Aldinga Beach Caravan Park, drove the victim to Sellicks Beach last year.

While in the car, Saunders asked the victim to pull his pants down, to which he said no.

“You pulled them down anyway,” Judge Heath Barklay said.

Robert Saunders leaves the Adelaide Magistrates Court after an earlier appearance. Picture: Supplied

Robert Saunders. Picture: 7NEWS Adelaide

The court heard Saunders then indecently assaulted the boy before exposing himself to him.

Saunders told the boy it was a secret between them but the victim reported it to his mother.

Saunders pleaded guilty to one count of aggravated indecent assault.

The court heard Saunders told a psychologist he couldn’t provide a reason to his offending but said he had had a “few too many drinks” and it was spur of the moment.

Judge Barklay said that while Saunders claimed he was not sexually aroused during the offending it was reasonable to conclude he had a pedophilic tendency.

The court heard that Saunders’ children – who are now aged in their 50s – were receiving anonymous threatening phone calls since the news of their father’s offending broke.

In their victim impact statements, the boy’s mother said Saunders had earned trust before assaulting their son.

The boy’s father agreed.

“I’m angry, I’m exhausted, I’m broken, I’m unable to shake the anger I’m feeling,” he said.

“My son has 65 years to go until he’s Bob’s age, and he has a life sentence.”
The victim told the court he still “feels weird every day” since he was abused.

“I hear him when I hear people that speak like him … it doesn’t feel safe anywhere, any more,” he said.

The court heard Saunders was drinking close to 79 standard drinks per week at the time of the offending but had ceased drinking alcohol before going into custody.

Judge Barklay sentenced Saunders to four years and three months, with a non-parole period of two years and seven months.

“You took away his innocence, his sense of safety in this world,” he said.

The sentence was backdated to March 21.

Originally published as Aldinga Beach Caravan Park resident Robert ‘Bob’ Saunders jailed for indecently assaulting 7yo boy