Search results for Rhondda Cynon Taf

Description

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

Andrew Bennison, 44, from Church Village, Rhondda Cynon Taf, was sentenced to 13 years in prison following his conviction. He has also been given a restraining order and sexual harm prevention order for 15 years starting from today. He will also be placed on the sex offenders register for life.

The sentencing took place today (Thursday, September 17) at Cardiff Crown Court, following a week-long trial in August where Bennison was found guilty of four counts of causing a female to engage in a non-penetrative sexual activity, eight counts of sexual assault and two counts of assaulting a female by penetration with part of body.

This followed the victim coming forward to the police in April 2024. Officers then investigated the case and found that Bennison had been abusing the victim over a seven-year period.

Detective Constable Bethan Crisfield 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 her life and heal from the awful events that took place. I thank her for her 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

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

David Pincott, 42 from Pentre was sentenced to four years and eight months in prison following his conviction.

The sentencing took place on Thursday July 9 at Cardiff Crown Court when Pincott changed his plea to guilty for attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child, engaging in sexual communication with a child, attempt to meet a girl following grooming, three counts of making indecent images and possession of prohibited images of a child.

Pincott had been communicating with two girls he believed to be under 16 via Snapchat and included him saying he’d love to see them naked. These accounts were actually undercover police officers from South Wales Police as part of the force's Online Investigations Team. 

Officers then went to the address of Pincott and seized all of his electronic devices such as mobile phones and laptops. When these devices were searched multiple indecent images of children were found, it was also found that Pincott had communicated with another girl under the age of 16.

Detective constable Nichola McGill said:

“The perverse images possessed by David Pincott were disgusting, depraved and completely unacceptable.

“For him to take sexual pleasure from these images is reprehensible and proves that he is a danger to children, he will now serve a significant time in prison”

Description

A man from Beddau has been jailed after a jury found him guilty of rape.

Kyle Plummer, 32, raped his victim at a property in Beddau in 2023. Plummer pleaded not guilty to one count of rape but was found guilty after a three-day trial at Cardiff Crown Court in April.

He has been handed an extended sentence of six years and six months in prison and given a 10-year restraining order.

Detective Constable Davies said:

“I would like to thank the victim in this case for coming forward and for being courageous throughout the process of this investigation. Because of her, we have been able to convict a man who is clearly a threat to women. I can only hope that this helps her to move on from this in a more positive way and gain some form of closure.

“If you are the victim of a sexual offence, we urge you to report it to the police as soon as possible. You will be supported, and officers will treat all reports with sensitivity and professionalism.”

Description

A Porth man has been jailed for the rape of a woman he met on a dating app.

Dexter Walkey, 30, was found guilty following a trial at Cardiff Crown Court.

The court heard they had been on a night out in Cardiff and returned to the victim's home address.

She then woke to discover the defendant having sex with her which she had not consented to.

Walkey sent a text the following day apologising for his behaviour. He later denied the offence of rape but was found guilty on March 20, 2026.

He was sentenced on Friday, May 1, to eight years in prison and made subject to sex offender notification requirements indefinitely, in addition to a restraining order until further notice.

Officer in the case, Detective Constable Ellie Adkins from South Wales Police, said:

"I would like to commend the victim for reporting what happened to her and for the strength she has shown throughout the investigation.

"I hope that the sentence imposed by the court goes some way in allowing the victim to move forward with her life.”

Description

Thomas Serpell, 28, sent sexualised messages to a nine-year-old boy, asking him to “be his boyfriend”, to kiss him and if he could see him naked. The messages were described in court as “sexual and disturbed”.

Serpell later told the boy to delete the messages and not tell his mother, which the child did. He then claimed the messages were a “joke”. When reported to police, Serpell denied any messages had been sent.

At Cardiff Crown Court on Friday, the victim was said to have been left “confused and uncomfortable”. In a victim personal statement, the boy said he was now scared to go out alone, was struggling to eat and sleep, had become more isolated and at times “feels he doesn’t want to be here anymore”. There were concerns about self-harming.

Judge Paul Hobson told Serpell: “You only have to think how frightening and disturbing this episode must have been for that child. The impact on him has been significant.”

Serpell, of Regent Street, Aberaman, Aberdare, pleaded guilty to engaging in sexual communication with a child. He was previously of good character.

In mitigation, Nick Gedge said the offence occurred shortly after his client suffered an epileptic seizure. He added that Serpell knew what he had done was wrong and expressed “remorse and regret”. Mr Gedge said his client had been bullied at school and by his father because of his sexuality.

Judge Hobson rejected the mitigation, saying: “You claim you sent these messages after coming out of an epileptic seizure. I do not accept your illness had an impact on your behaviour or your recollection of what you did… Epilepsy does not cause people to sexually offend against children, you have sought to minimise your behaviour.”

Serpell was sentenced to 12 months’ imprisonment. He was also made subject to a restraining order, a Sexual Harm Prevention Order and sex offender notification requirements, each for 10 years.

Description

A man from Porth has been jailed after pleading guilty to one count of inciting a child to engage in sexual activity.

26-year-old Himanshu Himanshu, from Porth, committed the offence when the victim was 14 years-old. The offence took place in August 2025.

Himanshu changed his plea from not to guilty to guilty to the offence of inciting a child to engage in sexual activity and was sentenced to one year in prison when sentenced at Cardiff Crown Court on Wednesday February 18.

Detective Constable Sarah Jenkins said:

“Himanshu’s offences were completely unacceptable. We commend the bravery of the victim in coming forward to report the offences, which cannot have been easy for her.

“If you have been the victim of any kind of sexual offence, do not suffer in silence. Report it to us via 101 and specially trained officers will be able to support you.”

Description

Huw Richards, 40, of Cilfynydd, has been sentenced to one year and two months in prison following his conviction for attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child.

He has also been given a sexual harm prevention order for the next 10 years.  The sentencing took place at Merthyr Crown Court on Thursday February 5, 2026, where Richards was found guilty after pleading not guilty during a previous hearing on July 21, 2025.

The case came to light on June 22, 2025, when an online child protection group, reported Richards to the police. At approximately 3:05pm, the group apprehended Richards outside his home, where he was compliant and cooperative.

The investigation revealed that Richards engaged in inappropriate online communication with someone he believed to be a 13-year-old girl, which was a fictitious social media account. Beginning on June 11, 2025, Richards sent a friend request to this fictitious account, which was operated by the online child protection group. Over the course of several days, he exchanged messages with the account, soliciting explicit photographs and engaging in sexually suggestive conversations.

Richards' actions escalated as he requested photos of the fictitious girl in her school uniform and sent her explicit images, including a photograph of an escort magazine cover, claiming it contained indecent pictures. He also made disturbing comments about sexual acts, demonstrating a clear intent to exploit and manipulate a minor.

Detective Constable Luke Bond said:

“This case serves as a crucial reminder of the dangers that exist online. We are committed to protecting the most vulnerable members of our society and will take robust action against those who seek to exploit children. We encourage parents and guardians to remain vigilant and to educate their children about online safety.”

“Richards' conviction underlines the importance of ongoing efforts to combat online predatory behaviour.”

Description

Cory Jones, a 19-year-old of Rees Street, Treorchy, has been sentenced today to a total of eight years for committing 69 sexual or related offences against minors.

The offences occurred throughout 2024, when Jones was aged 17 and 18, and involved 37 victims, ranging in age from 10 to 16 years old.

The charges against Jones included:

• Sexual communications with a child
• Causing a child to watch a sex act
• Causing a child to engage in sexual activity
• Causing/inciting penetration of vagina
• Sharing intimate photographs without consent
• Blackmail
• Distributing indecent images
• Possession of images

Jones will also be subject of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order and will be on the Sex Offenders Register for life.

Detective Inspector Stuart Prendiville expressed the gravity of Jones's actions, stating:

“Corey Jones deliberately targeted young women on social media, lying about his age and employing manipulative, deceptive tactics. His exploitation of vulnerable children for his own sexual gratification is a stark reminder of the dangers that exist online.

“Our thoughts are with the victims and their families during this difficult time. It is our hope that the conviction and sentence handed down today will provide some measure of comfort and justice to those affected.

“Let this serve as a warning that such predatory behaviour will not be tolerated, and that we must remain vigilant in protecting our children."

Description

A woman from Rhondda Cynon Taff has been jailed after she was found guilty of multiple offences involving children.

37-year-old Leah Church, from Tonyrefail, was found guilty of multiple counts of cruelty to children and a sexual offence at Swansea Crown Court on August 15.

Church was sentenced to five years in prison. Upon release she will be required to register as a registered sex offender for ten years and be subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order and restraining order.

Detective Constable Amanda Jenkins said:

“I commend the victims of these offences for coming forward and reporting to us.

“They have been supported by specialist officers throughout this investigation, and I'm pleased to see Church held accountable."

Description

A 31-year-old man has been sentenced at Merthyr Tydfil Crown Court today after being convicted of attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child and attempting to arrange / facilitate the commission of child sex offence - rape / assault by penetration of child under 13.

Liam Lewis from Ferndale, Rhondda Cynon Taff, has been sentenced to three years and nine months in prison. He is also subject of a 10-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order and will have to register as a sex offender indefinitely.

Description

A paedophile who was convicted of possessing indecent images of children absconded after he failed to keep probation services aware of his whereabouts. A judge told him he had been given a number of chances to avoid custody.

Rhys Jones, 31, was made subject to a community order at Cardiff Crown Court in 2022 after he was convicted of making indecent images of children. He was also made subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order and sex offender notification requirements, which required him to be monitored by the probation service.

A sentencing hearing on Wednesday heard Jones committed further offences by breaching the orders, and was sentenced to a suspended jail term of 18 months in February last year. He was also ordered to carry out 150 hours unpaid work, 43m sessions of the Horizon programme, 55 days of a rehabilitation activity requirement, and a 90-day alcohol abstinence monitoring requirement.

But the defendant went on to breach that order after leaving his accommodation at the Three Saint Hotel, in Llantrisant, but did not keep the authorities aware of his whereabouts. He absconded between September 27 and October 2, but was subsequently detained, arrested and remanded in custody.

The court heard the probation service no longer considered the suspended sentence order as workable and believed the defendant was a risk to children and of committing domestic violence against family members.

Jones, of no fixed abode, pleaded guilty to breaching a Sexual Harm Prevention Order and failure to surrender. In mitigation, Sol Hartley said his client "regrets his actions, but described his personal circumstances at the time as "chaotic".

Sentencing, Judge Paul Hobson said: "The court gave you a chance... You were given another chance." He sentenced Jones to 10 months imprisonment. Due to the time he has spent on remand, the defendant will be released from custody shortly.

Description

Teacher sent naked Snapchat photos to 15-year-old said 'I bet all the boys fancy me'

A supply teacher who sent naked pictures and videos of herself to a 15-year-old boy on Snapchat has been jailed.

Natalie Arroyo, 33, groomed the teen by sending him the images and telling him she wanted to have sex with him. She also told him she would leave her husband, and sent him a clip of herself performing a sex act.

A court heard how the underage boy was in a “vulnerable” state when Arroyo began contact with him. She began sending the inappropriate texts when she was working as a progress coach and a supply teacher.

Arroyo's conversation with the boy on Snapchat was "innocent" at first but she introduced a sexual element to the conversation and became flirtatious, a sentencing hearing at Cardiff Crown Court heard on Tuesday.

She told the victim: "I bet all the boys fancy me. I don't blame them – I have really big boobs." Arroyo then sent pictures of her breasts in a bra and asked the victim to send a picture of his penis, which he did.

She later asked the boy to come and meet her for sex and said she would pick him up and could go back to her house. The defendant sent photos of her bottom half in underwear and told him "I touched myself while thinking about you."

The victim asked her to stop sending photos as he was out shopping with his mother and aunt and she responded: "It's so fun to tease you." Arroyo continued to send messages of a sexual nature, told the victim he could "do whatever he wanted to her", and said she "didn't have a gag reflex" and wanted to perform oral sex upon him, Wales Online reports.

Prosecutor Andrew Kendall said the defendant sent pictures of her bare breasts. She asked the boy if he "had any kinks" and said she "liked to be dominated". Arroyo also asked the victim when they were going to meet and said she would "leave her husband for him".

The teenager told Arroyo he didn't want to have sex with her but she tried to convince him otherwise. She sent the boy a picture of her genitals and asked him to come and see her as her husband was at work. He said he didn't want to and the defendant responded by sending a video of herself performing a sex act. A couple of days later Arroyo sent a message to the boy saying it was "best to forget about the messages".

The offences came to light after the victim disclosed the abuse to another adult and the defendant was arrested. She was interviewed and initially denied having contact with the boy but after a break she accepted she had sent the messages but claimed she thought the boy was 16.

Arroyo, of Shady Road, Gelli, Rhondda, later pleaded guilty to two counts of causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity and engaging in sexual communication with a child. The court heard she was of previous good character.

In a victim personal statement read to the court by Mr Kendall, the teenager said: "I have suffered with anxiety and suffered a breakdown. I stopped wanting to go out with friends and felt upset about the situation as I've become known as the boy this has happened to. Children have come up to me and asked about it and they think it's funny and something to laugh about. I felt I was at fault at first and had no-one to talk about it with. I trusted her... I feel betrayed and taken advantage of. I didn't know how to stop it."

In mitigation Ruth Smith said her client had faced huge adversity in her life having had difficulty in her childhood, abusive relationships, and experienced bullying at school. As an adult she suffered miscarriages and ectopic pregnancies and has PTSD, anxiety, and depression. She also has a young son with her husband who, in a reference to the court, described her offences as a "moment of madness".

Judge Eugene Egan said he disagreed with this description. He said: "You have blamed the boy in the past, you had an unimpressive interview with probation, and you are unable to grasp the enormity of what you did. You have a 'woe is me' attitude. You knew [the victim] was vulnerable and you exploited that... You deployed guile and cunning to manipulate that boy."

Arroyo was sentenced to a total of three years and four months' imprisonment. She was also made subject to sex offender notification requirements and a restraining order indefinitely.

Description

A violent rapist hit a woman while they were having sex. He refused to stop despite his victim begging and crying, and dragged her back to the bed when she tried to run away.

Curtis Green, 28, asked his victim for sex and after "nagging her" she initially gave consent, but while they were having sex he began to assault her. He became violent and struck the victim to the face with a closed fist.

A sentencing hearing at Cardiff Crown Court on Friday heard the violence continued as the victim begged Green to stop. She began to cry and the defendant told her to "shut up" and "Rhondda and Valley girls like sex like that".

The victim asked him to stop and he responded by laughing at her. He prevented her from trying to escape from the bedroom and dragged her back to the bed by her wrists. Green then hit her multiple times to the face, which the court heard made him "aroused".

Sentencing, Judge Eugene Egan said: "You were sexually turned on by the use of violence. You were powerfully built, fit and athletic... You brutalised the victim."

At one point the victim screamed and shouted at the top of her voice, which "spooked" Green who left the property, leaving in his underwear and his socks. She took photos of her injuries which were subsequently shown to the jury at the defendant's trial.

Green, of Rhiwgarn Road, Trebanog, Porth, denied one count of rape, claiming the sex had been consensual throughout and the victim had received no injuries. He was later found guilty by a jury.

In a victim personal statement read to the court by prosecutor Andrew Davies, the victim said: "I cannot begin to explain the devastation and all encompassing effect this abuse has had on my life. The abuse lasted less than an hour but the trauma will last me the rest of my life. I stand before you today a completely different person to the one had I never met Curtis Green. I have become lost and emotionally numb, this person took away my basic human rights.

"I feel like a prisoner in my own home... I have always been a happy and outgoing person but now I feel pressured, scared, unsafe, bedraggled and humiliated. I felt like my dignity disappeared all due to the fact of what Curtis Green did to me. I am constantly living on my nerves and have installed cameras... Since I have heard he's been remanded in custody I feel a weight has been lifted off my shoulders. I have been fearful of repercussions from reporting this matter and vulnerable. I have never been a confident person in terms of how I look, I would even say I had body dysmorphia. When I was running naked I felt even more degraded and vulnerable...

"I have been struggling with my mental health, I've struggled to work and life has been turned upside down... Since the guilty verdict there has been no real change in how I feel. I will never forget how I was made to feel, whatever sentence is passed on Curtis Green, it will never erase my memories and emotions about what happened. I have issues with intimacy and refuse to trust people. I have struggled with this for years and thought about ending my life... I hated myself for feeling cowardly and it scared me to death, bringing back old feelings and memories. I was scared no-one would believe me. You couldn't admit what you did."

The court heard Green now has a partner and a son who is three years old, and that his own father walked out on his family at the same age, a fact which is "particularly galling" for him. It was said the defendant had a difficult childhood and a relative of his was murdered, which caused pain to the family.

Green was sentenced to a total of eight years imprisonment, of which he will serve two thirds before he is released on licence. He was also made subject to a restraining order and sex offender notification requirements indefinitely.

Description

A depraved elderly paedophile raped and sexually assaulted a young girl while filming the abuse. The ordeal left the girl contemplating suicide as she felt she "didn't deserve to live anymore".

Roger Stapleton, 75, of Llantrisant, carried out a campaign of horrific sexual crimes against the victim who was of primary school age when the abuse began. He raped the girl on multiple occasions and sexually assaulted her while she was holding a baby.

A sentencing hearing at Cardiff Crown Court heard the defendant possessed videos of himself raping and sexually assaulting the victim.

When he first abused the victim, by touching her intimately with his fingers, he told her: "It's okay, this is normal". The assault caused her extreme pain and she screamed. Stapleton told her not to tell anyone what he was doing to her and groomed her by giving her money and alcohol..

The offences came to light after a family member of the victim was made aware of a page on Facebook that the defendant had followed which contained images of half dressed teenagers. This led to the victim reporting the matter to the police in 2023.

Outlining the facts of the abuse prosecutor James Wilson said when Stapleton first raped the victim she was in pain but could not scream out as the defendant placed his hands over her mouth. The rape lasted for 10 minutes, and left the victim bleeding, but Stapleton walked off "as if nothing happened". Stapleton went on to rape the victim on four other occasions

On occasions he sexually assaulted her by touching her chest, performing oral sex upon her, rubbing himself on her, and touching her while she was holding a baby. Upon being told this Judge Paul Hopkins KC said: "I just have to reflect on the enormity of the depravity in this case. It's an appalling case."

A number of cameras were subsequently seized by police including multiple camera and memory cards on which was stored videos of Stapleton raping and sexually assaulting the victim. In total there were 13 Category A images, 29 Category B images, and 26 Category C images. The defendant had also made search terms including "teen porn". The defendant was also found to have made internet searches for a phone message tracker app and had a diary in which he made reference to having sex with the victim.

Stapleton, of Llantrisant Business Park, was arrested and pleaded guilty to five counts of rape, one count of assaulting a child by penetration, six counts of sexual assault, and three counts of making indecent images. Judge Hopkins said: "He had no choice but to plead guilty. Even though the evidence was overwhelming I am still required to give him full credit although he had no alternative."

In a victim personal statement read to the court the victim said: "My mental health got so bad I started to self-harm and cut my arms or legs every day and started thinking about ending my life. I began to plan ending my life but never went through with it. It made me feel I didn't deserve to live anymore and didn't feel like I was good enough. I felt that was the reason I was alive – so he could do things to me and that was all I was good for. I constantly blamed myself for what he did although none of this was my fault and I realise that now. I felt isolated, lonely, angry, and ill-equipped to handle these feelings or do anything about them...

"He ruined my life and because of it I didn't get to enjoy my childhood and teenage years as much as I should have. I should have been out with my friends all the time actually enjoying my but I spent my time crying and self-harming in my room wondering what I had done to deserve this... He ruined my childhood but I won't let him ruin my future."

Description

Scott Light, 32, spent 19 minutes waiting inside the toilet of the bowling alley before shuffling towards his young victim and assaulting him physically A man sexually assaulted a boy in the toilets of a bowling alley. Scott Light already had a history of attacking children when he targeted the eight-year-old. Light, from Aberdare, went to the venue one evening last December and the way he looked at children near him caused one family to ask to be moved to another lane. They said the 32-year-old had "creeped the children out". He then went into the toilets and waited for 19 minutes at the urinals before an eight-year-old boy entered. Prosecutor Claire Pickthall told Cardiff Crown Court: "The child began using the urinal and described the defendant shuffling closer to him. The defendant said: 'Can I?'" Light then committed an offence of sexual touching for around five seconds. The boy described being in shock and running out as fast as he could. The adults who had taken him to the alley informed staff who entered the toilets and found one of the cubicles was locked with Light inside. The employee prevented anyone else entering the toilets and waited for police who attended soon afterwards and arrested Light. He gave a "no comment" interview. Ms Pickthall said the CCTV footage showed a "degree of planning" from Light in waiting 19 minutes for a child to enter. The defendant, of Mary Street, pleaded guilty to sexually touching a child aged under 13. While employed as a railway worker in 2017 he was jailed for 18 months after admitting attempted voyeurism and possessing more than 2,000 indecent images of children. He had gone into the toilets of St David's shopping centre in Cardiff before placing a mobile under a cubicle door to film a dad and his two-year-old son. Light is also awaiting sentence for offences dating back to 2006 in Northern Ireland when he attacked three children a boy and two girls. He has pleaded guilty to five counts of indecent assault and three of possessing indecent images. The victims came forward in 2018. Speaking about last year's bowling alley attack the victim's mum said it had changed him from a "happy and carefree" boy to one who struggles with fear of public toilets and lack of trust in social situations. "His right to innocence has been eroded by the events that night," she added. "He asks: 'Why did he do that to me?' How do you explain to a boy that he was sexually assaulted? No child or his family should ever have to go through this." John Ryan, mitigating, said the assault was "not prolonged" after his client had requested a "quick touch". He added: "In the past he has always had such thoughts and been able to manage but against the background of the Covid pandemic, loneliness, isolation, and boredom he went out to watch people to have some interaction. He drank significantly and this proved a disinhibiting factor which led to the offence." Mr Ryan said Light has not "victim-blamed" and has made "frank admissions". But Judge Tracey Lloyd-Clarke pointed out that Light had denied the Northern Ireland offences in his interview with the probation service despite having already pleaded guilty to them. The barrister replied that he was "not sure where that came from". The judge also questioned Light's statement in the presentence report that he was not sexually attracted to male children. Passing sentence Judge Lloyd-Clarke said the victim had been left "shocked and upset" by the attack. She added that only an immediate prison term would be appropriate given aggravating features such as Light being on bail for the Northern Ireland offences at the time as well as the comments he made in the presentence report. She imposed a three-year prison term and an indefinite sexual harm prevention order.