Search results for Bridgend

Description

A man has been jailed for various sexual offences following a South Wales Police investigation.

Adam Chard, 22 from Bridgend was sentenced to three years in prison and given a restraining order following his conviction. He’s also been placed indefinitely on the Sex Offenders Register.

The sentencing took place on Friday August 21 at Cardiff Crown Court, where Chard pleaded guilty to 14 counts of engaging in sexual activity with a child, three counts of possessing indecent images of Cat A B and C, one count of sexual communication with a child and one count of engaging in coercive/ controlling behaviour.

The officer dealing with the case said:

“This sentence sends a hugely positive message to victims of sexual abuse that they will be believed, their attackers will be identified, and they will be brought to justice.

We cannot praise the victim enough for the bravery she has shown to tell police what happened to her and secure justice against a despicable man – and that is before even mentioning Adam Chard’s part in the offending”

Description

A man from Bridgend has been jailed after carrying out a sexual offence against his victim.

21-year-old Daffydd Piper, from Bridgend, changed his plea from not guilty to guilty of one count of rape when he appeared before Cardiff Crown Court on Friday July 24.

During his sentence hearing on Monday September 21 at Cardiff Crown Court Piper was sentenced to three years and five months in prison. He was also given a five-year restraining order.

Detective constable Lucy Weaver said:

“The bravery it takes to come forward and reporting offences like these not to be underestimated.

“We hope that this sentence will go some way in helping the victim rebuild her life and heal from the awful events that took place.

“An extensive amount of work went into this investigation which we believe gave Piper no option other than to plead guilty and therefore prevented the victim from having to give evidence in court.”

Description

Mark Jones, 63, of Nantyffyllon, Maesteg, jailed for 22 months after eight SHPO breaches

A convicted child sex offender from Maesteg has been jailed after breaching his Sexual Harm Prevention Order eight times.

Mark Jones, 63, of Nantyffyllon, received a suspended sentence in 2020 for possessing indecent images of children aged between six and 10. He was also made subject to an SHPO requiring him to keep his search history, notify police of every internet-capable device he owned, and not use private networks such as VPNs.

Cardiff Crown Court, sitting remotely at Cardiff Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday, heard that Jones breached the order eight times between April and June this year.

Prosecutor Hartej Saund-Matharu said that on 22 April police found Jones “agitated, doing up his jeans and his belt”. An officer established that 24 minutes earlier Jones had made a forbidden search on one of his devices.

Device history showed he had accessed numerous porn sites using VPNs and private browsers. On his phone, porn sites and live video chats were open and the VPN was still running while the officer was in the room.

Jones was also found with a phone police did not know about. He said a “friend” had given it to him and admitted using it without telling anyone. Search history showed he had accessed a Gmail account and tried to recover a Facebook account.

He was arrested and released on bail, then breached the SHPO a further three times.

Defending, Adam Sharp said there was no evidence that indecent images had been accessed on any seized device. He said Jones has “struggled with his mental health and is taking antidepressants” and “has suffered panic attacks during his time in custody.”

On Jones’s background, Mr Sharp said:

“His father died when he was young and his mother was diagnosed with dementia. He was her carer until she died in 2018.

“He has no relationship and no living family. He lives an isolated existence, compounded by his 2020 conviction.”

Mr Sharp asked Recorder Paul Lewis KC to suspend the sentence, noting Jones had already spent 90 days in custody and that this was his first series of breaches since the 2020 conviction.

Recorder Lewis refused, saying he would be doing a disservice to the public if he suspended the sentence. He told Jones he did not accept his denial that the breaches were sexually motivated.

Jones was sentenced to 22 months in custody and ordered to pay an £187 statutory surcharge within six months of release.

Recorder Lewis said:

“If I could have extended the Sexual Harm Prevention Order I would have done so, but for whatever reason I do not have the power within the remits of the law.”

Description

A Bridgend man has been jailed for 15 years for multiple child sex offences

James Carr, 68, from Bridgend, was found guilty of 10 counts of sexually assaulting of a boy under 14, two counts of rape of a male under 16, and two counts of buggery after a week-long trial at Merthyr Tydfil Crown Court. The offences occurred between 1986 and 1995 and later were reported to police in 2022.

He was sentenced at Merthyr Tydfil Crown Court on Wednesday, July 1, to 15 years in prison.

Carr was also made the subject of a lifelong restraining order and will have to register as a sex offender for life.

Detective Constable Rebecca Evans said:

“The bravery it takes to come forward and report offences like these cannot be underestimated.

“We hope that this sentence will go some way in helping the victim rebuild his life and heal from the awful events that took place. I thank him for his strength and dignity throughout this investigation.

“An extensive amount of work went into this investigation, and this sentence sends a hugely positive message to victims of sexual abuse that they will be believed, their attackers will be identified, and they will be brought to justice.”

Description

Dean Edwards has been jailed for a rape committed almost 20 years ago.

The victim bravely came forward in 2023 after learning Edwards was serving a prison sentence for another rape.

He protested his innocence but was found guilty following a trial at Cardiff Crown Court.

On Monday, May 11, 2026, Edwards was sentenced at Cardiff Crown Court to eight years imprisonment, with an extended licence period of four years.

The 48-year-old was also made subject to sex offender notification requirements and a restraining order indefinitely.

The court heard the rape was committed in the woman’s house while Edwards was under the influence of drugs and alcohol.

It was not reported to police at the time.

In a Victim Personal Statement, the victim described the profound impact of the incident on her life:

“I've felt an immense amount of guilt for not reporting the incident to police earlier than I did.

“When I found out about other matters he been responsible for I couldn't help but think perhaps I could have helped the other women by going to police earlier.

“I'm not sure I'll ever get over what he did to me. I just hope now to be able to move on with my life safe in the knowledge that at least for some time he won't be able to attack any other woman.”

Officer in the case, Detective Constable Nick Young, from South Wales Police, said:

“The victim has shown immense bravery to speak out when she did.

“I hope that the outcome at court brings her some comfort that Edwards has been brought to justice and that her bravery has helped protect other women from harm.

“The passage of time is no barrier for investigating crimes like this and we encourage victims to come forward.”

Description

George Gillett, 24, from Bridgend has been sentenced to two years and five months in prison after appearing on Friday February 20 at Cardiff Crown Court.

On January 6, Gillett changed his plea from not guilty to guilty of sexually assaulting a woman, following an incident that took place in a car in Bridgend on July 13, 2025.

He was also convicted for two separate offences of stalking.

Detective Constable Evan Thomas said:

“I would like to thank the victim for her strength and resilience throughout this investigation. Gillett’s actions have had an extremely significant impact on her, so I hope this sentence goes some way in helping her move onwards from his actions.

“If you are a victim of a sexual offence, please report it to police. We will always take your reports seriously and we are committed to holding offenders like Gillett to account "

Description

A 34-year-old man, Thomas Treharne, sent a video of his penis to a 16-year-old girl via Snapchat, leaving her "frightened" and leading to self-harm. The victim said she began using cannabis "to forget the images she'd seen" and "to cocoon up and try [her] best to forget what happened."

The pair met, formed a friendship, and connected on Facebook before moving to Snapchat. Initial messages were "innocent," but Treharne soon sent inappropriate requests, asking her to "bend over" and "get her breasts out." He then sent a photo of himself performing a sex act over clothing, followed by the explicit video.

In her victim impact statement, she described suffering "stress and anxiety," feeling "frightened," tensing up at his name, fearing stalking, insomnia, and self-harm. She added: "I think of him and it upsets me... Thoughts of the defendant impact my mental health... I feel like I have changed."

At Cardiff Magistrates' Court, Treharne, of Commercial Road, Maesteg, Bridgend, pleaded guilty to sending a photograph or film of genitals to cause alarm, distress, or humiliation. He had no prior convictions.

In mitigation, the court heard of his poor mental health, lack of social skills, weight struggles, "plagued by isolation and loneliness" since teenage bullying, anxiety, depression, his mother's 2023 death from a heart attack, gambling addiction, and ongoing debts.

He received an 18-week suspended sentence for 18 months, a 25-day rehabilitation requirement, £250 compensation, seven-year sex offender notification, and a Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

Description

A woman secured a job at a youth club while under investigation for raping a 17-year-old girl. Sarah Vigus, aka Sarah Parkinson, continued working at YMCA Porthcawl's after-school club until she was remanded in custody after being convicted of rape and assault by penetration, WalesOnline can reveal.

When asked how this occurred, a YMCA spokesman said: "We have not been contacted by the police at any point, either before or following Sarah’s arrest, and were shocked to learn of the events that had taken place." However, South Wales Police contradicted this.

A police spokesman stated the DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service) checked Vigus in May 2023 when she applied to the YMCA, and the certificate "contained comprehensive details about her arrest and the nature and extent of the alleged offences" from 2022.

In April 2024, a jury convicted Vigus, 38, and her partner Robert Ellis-Evans, 39, of rape. Vigus was also guilty of assault by penetration. This month, both from Heol Degwm in North Cornelly, Bridgend county, received eight years and three months in prison.

WalesOnline sought YMCA's response to the police statement. Meanwhile, parents of children at the John Street club were horrified.

One mum said:

"This woman worked with YMCA Porthcawl after-school club while she was under investigation – picking my child up and other young children from primary school right up until the court date. I feel absolutely sickened this was allowed to happen. I would have never ever let my daughter near her if I knew this."

Another mother posted on social media: "Sarah looked after my son from the age of three upwards. It sends a shiver down my spine."

What did the YMCA know?

The spokesman claimed the charity had "no knowledge of the investigation or the charges" until Vigus missed work and a family member informed them of her conviction and remand.

"Like any employee of YMCA Porthcawl Sarah had undergone complete DBS and safeguarding checks," he said, adding she was "immediately dismissed." "Had we been aware of the investigation she would have been suspended from the outset. Prior to [her remand] we were completely unaware of any case against Sarah or even the fact that she would be attending court."

Police clarified:

"We understand that Sarah Vigus submitted a DBS application, via an umbrella organisation, to work for the YMCA which was processed and returned by DBS in May 2023. The certificate issued contained comprehensive details about her arrest and the nature and extent of the alleged offences. We are unable to comment as to the YMCA’s actions in recruiting Sarah into the role after this DBS check."

A disturbing crime

At Cardiff Crown Court, the victim described passing out after vodka shots bought by the defendants at a pub. Invited to their home, she awoke on a sofa to Vigus holding her down by the waist while Ellis-Evans penetrated her vagina with his penis.

Realizing the rape, she screamed and cried. Ellis-Evans withdrew; Vigus claimed consent, which the victim denied. She reported it to her parents, leading to arrests. Both denied rape; Vigus admitted digital penetration but claimed consent.

Vigus, with no prior convictions, had messaged Ellis-Evans about her sexual interest in the victim.

In her statement, the victim said:

"I tried my hardest to move on with my life but it will always stick with me... Some days I can't leave my bed or eat, I can't look after myself. I feel dirty and no matter how many times I bath or shower or scrub myself I just don't feel clean.

"I feel uncomfortable in my clothes. I've fallen out of love with my body and who I am. I thought of self-harm and suicide. I felt powerless and out of control.

"I blame myself for what happened and think of what I could have done differently... When I had to go into court and tell the jury I had been the victim of a sexual offence I felt anxious, nervous, and angry after realising I had been the victim of a sexual offence and had to tell strangers what happened to me and had difficulty reliving that incident."

Vigus' barrister, Martha Smith-Higgins, noted her client has two children, stopped drinking in custody, lost five stone, and poses a "low risk of re-offending."

Judge Lucy Crowther said:

"You both violated her in an intimate way, both emotionally and physically... She was a particularly vulnerable woman."

They must serve two-thirds before licence release, with lifelong sex offender registration and indefinite restraining orders.

The YMCA spokesman added:

"We are deeply disturbed by the serious crime for which Sarah Vigus has now been convicted. First and foremost our thoughts are with the victim and her family who have shown immense courage through an unimaginably distressing experience.

"We want to reassure parents and the wider community that the safety and wellbeing of children and young people in our care is always our highest priority."

The DBS helps employers with safe recruitment using police data. WalesOnline contacted YMCA and DBS for more details.

Description

A paedophile was found with a folder of animated images depicting child sex abuse despite being made subject to a court order for the same offence.

She also breached an order after using a different name to access social media accounts, after she had transitioned.

Scarlett Lee, 30, previously known as Scott Henwood, was made subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) in February last year when she was convicted of possessing a prohibited image of a child. She was made subject to a two-year community order, as well as sex offender notification requirements and a Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

A sentencing hearing at Cardiff Crown Court on Tuesday heard the defendant was living in support accommodation and on May 11 last year, a support worker cleaning her room noticed a message of a sexual nature on Lee's phone. For the latest court reports sign up to our crime newsletter.

The worker notified her senior manager who spoke to the defendant, who then showed the manager an animated sexual image on her computer.

Prosecutor Dominie Patel said Lee was asked if she had accessed the dark web, which she denied but she said: "There's probably stuff I shouldn't have on my laptop".

The police were called and a number of devices were seized, including a PC tower.

An examination of the device revealed a folder containing 80 animated images depicting adults engaging in sexual activity with children.

The defendant was bailed but on March 12 this year, she breached the SHPO she was subject to after using a name other than Scott Henwood to access a YouTube account.

When questioned by police, the defendant said had changed her name to Scarlett Lee by deed poll, and believed the SHPO had been updated to include her new name.

Lee, of The Parc, Bridgend, pleaded guilty to possession of a prohibited image of a child and breach of a SHPO.

The court heard she has three previous convictions for breaching a SHPO and had previously been made subject to an eight-month prison sentence, suspended for two years.

In mitigation, Bethan Evans said her client has a number of "personal difficulties" including her mental health, being diagnosed with autism and bipolar disorder, bullying and isolation. It was also said she has lost contact with her family following her "transition".

Sentencing, the Recorder of Cardiff Judge Tracey Lloyd-Clarke said: "You have no regard for orders made by the court. You have a persistent interest in child abuse images, but you deny having a sexual interest in children or of understanding the SHPO."

The judge added there was "no or little realistic prospect of rehabilitation".

Lee was sentenced to a total of two years and four months imprisonment.

She will remain subject to sex offender notification requirements and the SHPO.

Description

A paedophile was found in possession of more than 5,000 indecent images of children as young as six-years-old as well as AI generated images of child abuse. His family blamed his offending on "fixated behaviour".

Jack Gillard, 25, was visited by police at his home after intelligence had been received about the downloading of child abuse images. A raid was carried out on July 26, 2023, and a number of devices were seized including the defendant's mobile phone.

A sentencing hearing at Merthyr Tydfil Crown Court on Friday heard Gillard was arrested and made no comment.

He was taken to Merthyr Tydfil police station and again made no comment.

Prosecutor Hashim Salmman said a digital forensic examination was conducted on the seized devices and more than 5,000 category A, B and C images were discovered on the defendant's phone.

There was also prohibited material generated by AI which depicted young girls being raped by adult men.

One category A video was accessible, and was described as a compilation video including children aged between nine and 15-years-old involved in various types of sexual activity with adult males.

The youngest child depicted in the images was just six-years-old.

A number of screenshots were found of websites and forums including a collage of images.

There were a total of 1,476 category A images, 370 category B images and 3,145 category C images.

Gillard, of Trealaw Road, Trealaw, Tonypandy, pleaded guilty to three counts of making indecent images of children. The court heard he has no previous convictions.

In mitigation, it was said the defendant's behaviour would "never happen again". It was also said his family have concerns about "fixating behaviour, but he has been working hard on reducing his cannabis consumption.

Sentencing, the Recorder of Cardiff, Judge Tracey Lloyd-Clarke, said the defendant was a risk to children due to his "sexual interest in pre pubescent girls".

Gillard was sentenced to one year and 10 months imprisonment.

He was also made subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order and sex offender notification requirements for 10 years.

Description

A paedophile sent videos of himself performing a sex act to someone he thought was a 13-year-old girl – but he was speaking to an undercover member of the police force. He also asked the decoy for naked images of herself.

Hywell Hardman, 31, of Bridgend, sent messages to the decoy on Snapchat between February 8 and 13 this year using an account with a false name. He claimed to be 17 years old and the decoy told him she was just 13.

A sentencing hearing at Newport Crown Court on Thursday heard the defendant asked the decoy for a picture and an image of a girl aged about 13 was sent back. He said he would like to see more photos of her while she was in school and asked her about the colour of her underwear.

Prosecutor Matthew Comer said Hardman asked the decoy for naked pictures and to send intimate images of herself. He sent photographs and videos of himself which included his penis and of him performing a sex act. The language used was sexual in nature.

Hardman, of Stormy Down, was arrested and later pleaded guilty to attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child and attempting to cause/incite a child to watch an image of sexual activity. The court heard he was of previous good character.

In mitigation Ruth Smith said her client left school with no qualifications and had had difficulty in the past with bullying. He was in a relationship when he carried out the offences and is a father-of-two who now only has supervised contact with his children.

Sentencing, Judge Daniel Williams said the offences were "too serious to be dealt with by anything other than an immediate custodial sentence". Hardman was sentenced to 12 months imprisonment and was made subject to sex offender notification requirements and a sexual harm prevention order for 10 years.

Description

A predatory paedophile spent decades sexually abusing and raping young children, a court has heard. HGV driver Christopher Murray subjected three girls and a boy to a catalogue of horrific abuse at a number of different locations including in the cab of his lorry.

Cardiff Crown Court heard that some of the abuse was first reported to police in the 1990s but Murray was not prosecuted and went on to continue his sexual offending. A judge said she had no doubt the 63-year-old defendant should be considered a dangerous offender, and made him subject to a 24-year extended sentence.

Ruth Smith, prosecuting, told the court Murray subjected his victims to repeated sexual assaults and rapes, often accompanied by threats and physical violence. In a number of the incidents the defendant punched the young girls in the face when they tried to stop him raping them. He also told his young victims that if they reported what was happening nobody would believe them because they were just children.

The abuse was in fact reported to the authorities in 1997 and the defendant was arrested but due to "evidential difficulties" he was not prosecuted. The court heard Murray went back to his campaign of sexual assaults and rapes at a number of locations around Gwent and also in the cab of his lorry - at the time Murray drove a lorry delivering frozen food.

The prosecutor told the court one of the victims would later recall the feeling of being "crushed" under the defendant's 16-stone body weight and the smell of his old Spice aftershave as he raped her. The abuse of the children was often accompanied by acts and words designed to humiliate his young victims.

The court heard the offending lasted more than a decade and only stopped when Murray was sent to prison in 2001 for sexually abusing other children. After being released from his sentence - and undergoing courses designed to tackle his paedophilia - he resumed offending against children.

In a series of powerful statements read to the court, the victims of Murray's abuse laid bare the impact of the offending. All the victims described how the defendant had stolen their childhoods and innocence, and how their adolescence and adult lives had been blighted by feelings of shame and guilt. One victim described how she had turned to drink and drugs to try to block out what had happened to her - this led her into risky behaviours and she said her family "spent years worried they would find me dead in a ditch".

Another talked of the "deeply embedded wounds" left by the abuse and how he "grew up overnight" while another said as a child she "lost hope" the abuse would ever end, and in later life developed obsessive compulsive disorder and an unhealthy relationship with food. Murray's fourth victim described how she turned to self-harming and had been left suffering with anxiety, depression, nightmares and flashbacks.

Christopher Andrew Murray, now of Heol Llansantffraid, Sarn, Bridgend, had previously pleaded guilty to 32 counts of indecent assault, indecency with a child, assault by penetration, and rape when he appeared in the dock for sentencing. He has 10 previous convictions for 25 offences including two indecent assaults of a child in 1985 and three indecent assaults of a child in 2001 for which he was sentenced to four years in prison.

Matthew Roberts, for Murray, said there was little of merit that could be said for the defendant but said he had pleaded guilty to the offences before the court and not, as some offenders do in such historical sex cases, decided to "chance his arm" with a trial and put the complainants through the "horrendous prospect" of having to give evidence. He said it was clear from the pre-sentence report that the defendant "at last" had some insight into his offending, and he said though the words may sound "hollow" the defendant wished him to apologise to his victims.

Judge Vanessa Francis said Murray was a "relentless" and "predatory" abuser of children who continued to offend even after coming to the attention of police in 1990s and then serving a prison sentence and doing work designed to tackle his offending. She said looking at the offending before the court as well as Murray's previous convictions, she was satisfied a standard determinate sentence would not sufficiently protect the public and the defendant could properly be termed a dangerous offender within the meaning of the legislation and subject to an extended sentence.

With a one-third discount for his guilty pleas, Murray was given a 24-year extended sentence comprising 18 years in prison followed by a six-year extended licence period. He must serve two-thirds of the custodial element of the sentence before applying to be released but it will be for the parole board to determine whether he is safe to be released or not. He was also made the subject of a life-long sexual harm protection order designed to control his access to children, and will be on the sex offenders register indefinitely.

Description

A paedophile sexually assaulted a girl twice and sent her inappropriate messages saying "I wish I was the one who captured your heart". The abuse came to light after the victim showed the messages to her mother.

Gareth Nye, 32, of, Bridgend, abused his victim on at least two occasions by touching her over her clothing. He did this on the pretense he was tickling the girl.

A sentencing hearing at Cardiff Crown Court on Wednesday heard the victim was "young and naïve" to the defendant's behaviour and didn't think much of it at the time. After the victim was given a phone for Christmas by her parents, Nye exchanged messages with her.

In those messages, he told his victim: "Don't tell your mummy and daddy what I talk about with you". This made her feel suspicious and she showed her mum the messages. Being able to appreciate the full meaning of the message, the victim's mother became "upset and angry".

The police were called and the victim was interviewed, but she did not disclose the sexual assaults at the time. Months later she told her mother what Nye had done to her, after experiencing a nightmare.

Nye, of Caeau Duon, Pencoed, was arrested and faced two trials before he was convicted of two counts of sexually assaulting a child. Despite the guilty verdicts, he continues to maintain his innocence, which was considered an aggravating factor by Recorder John Philpotts.

In a victim personal statement read to the court, the victim's mother said: "I noticed a big difference in (my daughter), she became quite quiet and withdrawn.... When the disclosure took place I couldn't believe what it was she was telling me. It felt like a hole had opened up and we were sucked back into this dark place. She was in such a state and I was trying to reassure her it was ok and she told me there was more. She hadn't disclosed it earlier because of how upset I had been about the messages and was worried about causing more trouble. I was gutted she felt like this and I wasn't there for her when she needed it and trying to protect me...

"I was so angry and upset this man could do this to us... (My daughter) became quite erratic and this lasted for two years. She started to have outbursts of rage, not responding to our parenting, rebelling against anything we do. Screaming and shouting, punching her bed. She had a built up rage, she had never been like this before and we didn't know how to help her."

The victim's mother said she felt "sick to her stomach" while her daughter gave evidence in the trial, and described her bursting into tears after leaving the courtroom. She said they felt they could not move on with their lives, and added: "What (the defendant) has done to my daughter is incomprehensible. I will never forget him for taking away my daughter's innocence."

In mitigation, Hilary Roberts said Nye was of previous good character, and had been diagnosed as being on the autistic spectrum. He argued that custody could be avoided in his client's case, and he would struggle in a custodial setting having previously been bullied.

Sentencing, Recorder Philpotts sentenced Nye to eight months imprisonment. The defendant was also subjected to sex offender notification requirements, a Sexual Harm Prevention Order and a restraining order indefinitely.

Description

A paedophile sent disgusting videos and messages to a 13-year-old girl and threatened to disclose naked images of her if she did not send him more. He was also speaking to an undercover police officer posing as a 12-year-old girl.

Matthew Cheshire, 35, of Bridgend, was arrested by police at his home on October 5 last year where a number of electronic devices were seized and examined. The defendant had been in contact with who he thought was a 12-year-old girl, but was in fact a decoy account run by a police officer.

A sentencing hearing at Newport Crown Court on Thursday heard the exchanges between Cheshire and the decoy began with him trying to build a rapport with her, by asking about her school, if she had kissed anyone or gone further than kissing. He went on to say he could give the decoy tips about masturbating and offered to pick her up from school, as well as sending photos of himself smiling.

Following an examination of the defendant's phone, prosecutor Matthew Cobbe said it was discovered he had also been talking to a real 13-year-old girl. The conversation between Cheshire and the child was extremely sexualised and graphic on his part, with him talking about having sex with her.

He asked the teenager for videos and photos of herself, and she sent images exposing herself and a video of herself performing a sex act, which Cheshire had instructed her to do. He sent videos of himself masturbating.

The child was tracked down and she gave an interview to the police, during which she explained she had been speaking to the defendant for around a month on social media. She said the sexualised messages made her feel "weird and gross". She also said Cheshire had threatened to disclose naked images of her if she did not send him further images.

Cheshire, of Vale View, Sarn, later pleaded guilty to causing a child to engage in sexual activity, engaging in sexual communication with a child, causing a child to look at an image of sexual activity, possession of indecent images, attempting to cause a child to engage in sexual activity and attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child. The court heard he was of previous good character.

In mitigation, Ruth Smith said her client was unable to explain his offending, but had vowed he would never appear in front of a court again. She said the defendant had been in a relationship with his wife for 15 years and has a son, but the impact of his offending has been "devastating" on his family.

Sentencing, Judge Daniel Williams said: "You engaged in the vilest of sexual communications with (your victim) which involved graphic descriptions about the two of you having sex."

Cheshire was sentenced to four years and three months imprisonment. He was made subject to sex offender notification requirements indefinitely, a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for 10 years and a restraining order for 10 years.

Following the hearing, detective constable Laura Davies from South Wales Polices Online Investigation Team (POLIT) said: Matthew Cheshire demonstrated predatory and manipulative behaviour when grooming who he believed to be 12-year-old child.

POLIT and the Digital Forensic Unit carried out the investigation and further sexual communication with another child was revealed and she was safeguarded from further exploitative behaviour from Cheshire. The work carried out by South Wales Police helped to ensure that children are protected online from the risk Cheshire posed to them. Such was the strength of evidence gathered that Cheshire entered guilty pleas to the charges brought against him.

Tarian case officer DC Isaac Gott said: This man believed he was communicating with a 12-year-old child between August and October 2023. The communication turned sexual and it was clear that the defendant had a sexual interest in the child. He formed a close friendship and used this as a platform for grooming, talking about Disney films and told the child that she was pretty.

"Developing a friendship with a child before introducing sexual elements into the conversation is a classic tactic that is commonly observed by sex offenders. As a result of a proactive investigation by Tarian, the Regional Organised Crime Unit for southern Wales, the defendant was identified. I cannot over-emphasise the fantastic work conducted by South Wales Polices Online Investigation Team which conducted a thorough investigation into offences and subsequently identified a further victim of online child sexual abuse. The defendant incited this child to carry out penetrative sexual acts.

"In this case the defendant was completely unknown to law enforcement agencies and I am certain had the defendant not been identified by Tarian, he would have continued to commit offences against children and leave vulnerable children open to sexual exploitation. Anyone with any concerns over a childs safety or welfare should contact the police. Tarian ROCU will continue to work with partner agencies and relentlessly pursue those who have a sexual interest in children.

Description

Adrian Russell Coxon, 48, of St. Mary Close, Pencoed, was arrested in November 2021 after we received a report from the victim that they had been sexually assaulted.

He appeared in court today, Thursday, May 2, where he was sentenced to six years in prison for sexual assault by penetration and supply of Class C drugs. He was also made to sign onto the Sex Offenders Register and is subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO).