Australia man arrested in Polk child porn, aggravated abuse case

The criminal case involving a Polk County corrections deputy charged with paddling naked children and sending the videos to a man in Australia, became an international affair over the weekend when the man was arrested, authorities said.

"This conduct is just frightening," said Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd in a news conference Monday afternoon, "really frightening."

The arrest of Christopher Lobban, 53, is connected to the case of Robin Leigh Pagoria, a 45-year-old jailer arrested in May on charges of aggravated child abuse; production, promotion and possession of child pornography. Deputies said she videotaped the beatings of two nude girls. Deputies would only say the girls are between 12 and 16 years old.

Pagoria, a six-year veteran of the department, resigned from her job the day she was arrested.

Pagoria told investigators she has never met Lobban, whom she met on an online sexually oriented website and described as her master in their relationship. She said he instructed her to do the paddling and sent him video recordings of the spanking sessions.

"She was following his direction," Judd said. "Robin was submitting to his actions and directions.

"At least 11 times, he contacted her, berated her, dominated her and talked about how annoyed he was with her," Judd said. He told her he "wanted those children belted hard."

The beatings which occurred between January and May caused hemorrhaging and lacerations on the girls, deputies said.

Judd said detectives believe there may be other victims, "probably not in Polk County," he said, "but maybe across the state, across the nation and as tough as it is to say, around the world."

Judd said Lobban, who was arrested Saturday, was employed as a groundskeeper but lives in a $1 million house in Mullaloo, a suburb of Perth in west Australia.

He was charged with two counts of promotion of child pornography, solicitation to commit aggravated child abuse and solicitation to commit lewd and lascivious battery on a victim between 12 and 16.

It was unknown when he will be brought to Polk County to face the charges.

"When you start whipping children 50 times and video record that and show it to someone," Judd said, "you're going to be investigated and you're going to be arrested."