Latest Offenders Gwent

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A PAEDOPHILE "groomed a 12-year-old schoolgirl he met online after pretending he was a teenage gardener. But Declan Hatton, 30, from Ebbw Vale, was actually being duped by an undercover police officer who had joined a Kik group chat. Layla wasnt a real child but a decoy set up to catch paedophiles, Newport Crown Court was told. Hatton had set up a bogus account on Kik with a false picture and profile posing as a 19-year-old gardener from Blackwood. After moving to a private chat with the Layla, he asked her to perform a sexual act on herself and tried to persuade her to watch a sexually explicit video. The defendant, of Curre Street, Cwm, was found guilty by a jury following a trial of three offences. They were told by prosecutor Heath Edwards how Hatton had said to Layla that she should keep this to yourself and you cant say anything until your 16. He was convicted of attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child, attempting to cause a girl under the age of 13 to engage in sexual activity and attempting to cause a child to watch an image of sexual activity. The offences were committed between May 10, 2021 and May 17, 2021. Nicholas Gedge, representing Hatton, said his clients best mitigation was that he had no previous convictions for similar offences. His only previous brush with the law was for driving without due care and attention. The judge was told how Hatton had continued to maintain his innocence in his pre-sentence report and had been assessed as generally seen as a low risk of reoffending. Mr Gedge added: He is a hard-working man who has worked in his fathers haulage business. His barrister told the court: There wasnt significant planning or any planning. Judge Daniel Williams said to Hatton: You knew that Kik was popular with children. Your profile and picture were false you claimed you were a 19-year-old gardener from Blackwood. You believed Layla was a 12-year-old girl living with foster parents. The defendant was jailed for three years and ordered to register as a sex offender for life. He was also made the subject of an indefinite sexual harm prevention order and must pay a victim surcharge following his release from prison.

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A PENSIONER who sexually assaulted a woman was jailed after a judge condemned him for his gratuitous degradation of her. Paul Darnell, 73, from Abertillery, was branded a cowardly bully by Recorder Richard Booth QC, who told him he had humiliated his victim. The defendant had denied the offences but was convicted by a jury following a trial. Sign up to our Crime and Court newsletter to get all the days news direct to your inbox Darnell, of Commercial Road, Llanhilleth, was found guilty of assault by penetration, sexual assault and common assault. He had denied all the charges against him. Matthew Cobbe, prosecuting, said the woman had made a victim personal statement in which she revealed how the defendant had terrified her. Cardiff Crown Court heard how she now suffers flashbacks of her ordeal. She said: I feel embarrassed and ashamed of what happened. Ive never been so frightened in my life as I was on the day of the incidents. I live like a scared animal. Kathryn Lane, representing Darnell, asked the judge to take into account the defendants age and that he was a man of previous good character. She added how her client suffers from a host of health issues which include anxiety, depression, diabetes and a heart condition. Recorder Booth told Darnell: You spanked her and in the course of a terrifying incident you made unwanted sexual advances upon and unwanted sexual demands of your victim. The judge added: There was the gratuitous degradation of her. These were the offences of a cowardly bully. He was jailed for three years and told he will have to serve half of that time in prison before he will be released on licence. Darnell will have to register as a sex offender for life. The defendant was ordered to pay a 181 victim surcharge following his release from custody.

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DETECTIVES have praised the inspirational bravery of the victim of a paedophile for coming forward and testifying against her abuser. Gwent Police paid tribute to her after Donald Gordon, 62, of High Street, Blaina, was jailed for five years at Cardiff Crown Court. He was found guilty by a jury of five counts of sexual assault of a child under the age of 13 following a trial. The offences took place in Cwmbran between 2011 and 2016 and Gordon had denied all the charges against him. Detective Constable Samantha Davies, the officer in the case, said: Without the brave testimony of Donald Gordons victim, we would not have been able to bring him before the courts to face justice. He refused to accept responsibility for his crimes, forcing his victim to go through the ordeal of a trial. The courage, resilience and strength that the victim has shown throughout the investigation has been truly inspirational. DC Davies added: We understand how difficult it can be for victims to take the first step and speak out about the horrific abuse they have endured. We take all allegations of sexual assault, particularly against children, very seriously. If a report is made to us, our officers will investigate them thoroughly. I want to reassure anyone considering doing so that there is a whole range of support out there; not only from Gwent Police but from partner agencies who can help you through the entire process. There are support services available for victims of sexual abuse, both non-recent and current and for both adults and children. This help is also accessible to all genders. Sexual abuse can be reported to us via 101, or to Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111. The five-year sentence was made up of three years in custody and two years on extended licence. Gordon will have to register as a sex offender for the next five years. He was made the subject of a sexual harm prevention order until 2027.

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AN EBBW Vale man has denied a series of offences relating to possessing indecent images of children. Joey Morgan, 48, of Armoury Hill, denied three charges of possessing an indecent photograph of a child, one charge of possessing an indecent image of a child, and three charges of breaching a sexual harm prevention order. The charges of possessing an indecent photograph and possessing an indecent image relate to offences on June 14 and November 7 last year. Two of the charges of breaching a sexual harm prevention order relate to an offence on August 6 last year, while the other relates to an offence on September 10. Morgan appeared at Cardiff Crown Court to plead not guilty to all charges. Judge Michael Fitton QC ordered Morgan will face trial on December 15. James Evans appeared for the prosecution, while Hashim Salmman appeared for the defence.

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Michael Thomas, a 44-year-old businessman from Abergavenny, South Wales, drilled spy holes in a wooden shed near victim Susan George's home to monitor her movements. The 45-year-old, who waived anonymity, was in a two-year relationship with him.

Thomas built a makeshift bed in the shed and lived there, just yards away. He attacked when George opened her back door late at night to let her dog out. Brandishing a hammer, he raped her twice and held her captive until daybreak.

Her ordeal ended after the mother-of-one persuaded Thomas to drive to a petrol station for cigarettes. She whispered to the assistant: "The guy in the car has raped me. Call the police now - he says he's going to kill me."

Police arrested Thomas, a haulage contractor and owner of successful racehorses, after pulling over the car.

At Cardiff Crown Court, Judge Christopher Llewellyn-Jones jailed the father-of-one for 16 years, with a minimum of eight before parole consideration. Thomas must register as a sex offender for life.

He was convicted of seven rapes involving three women, including George, plus attempted rape, sexual assault, and threats to kill. Some of the 19 offences dated to the 1980s. All victims described his eyes as "black and menacing" during attacks.

The judge said: "The most striking similarity was that all the victims described the same look in your eyes as you carried out the attacks." He added: "You petrified your victims, used violence against them, grabbed them by the throat and hair and used both knives and hammers. Two of the women suffered serious psychological harm. Your victims were terrified and thought they were going to die."

Thomas kept horses at Chepstow, had his own racing colors, and attended National Hunt and flat racing meetings across Britain.

After the case, George said: "I hope he rots in jail. I have no sympathy for him because he showed me no sympathy at all." She feared for her life: "He told me he was going to kill me. He said we would both be dead by morning and that he would let me enjoy one more cigarette before I died. The worst part was when I had to see the hammer in court, I just broke down."

She added: "Finding out there were other victims was a big shock. I had been intimate with this man not knowing he was a serial rapist." Treated for PTSD, she now counsels victims: "I am hoping some good can come out of all this bad. I hope by telling my story it will encourage other victims to come forward. It shows the police system is better than it was years ago and that there are people who can help you."

The other victims knew Thomas. One, in her 30s, was raped after sharing wine at her home. Another was dragged from her car, kicked, punched, and raped at knifepoint. Thomas attempted to rape a fourth woman as her two-year-old clung to her leg.