Latest Offenders Swansea

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Caewen Ash tried to blackmail police into dropping the charges after he was caught

A former MasterChef contestant who downloaded sickening sex abuse photos of children has been jailed. Caerwyn Ash, who was a quarter finalist in the 2016 series of the popular BBC culinary series, claimed he was innocent and that a "whole list of other people” had access to his equipment, adding that “they had access to everything in the house”.

His trial heard that after the indecent images were found, he tried to blackmail the police into dropping the charges - bizarrely threatening to reveal sexually explicit material involving South Wales Police officers to the world’s media unless proceedings against him were stopped.

He was later convicted by a jury of having 20 indecent photographs of a child and five indecent videos of a child - the latter of which were all in the highest category.

On Thursday, a sentencing hearing at Newport Crown Court heard that Ash, of Kilvey Terrace, St Thomas, Swansea, was also convicted of possessing 35 videos of extreme pornography, including acts of bestiality, and 50 still photographs in the same category. The images and videos were discovered and Ash was arrested in April 2019 following a report that had been made by his former partner, which resulted in a search of Ash's then home and the seizure of various pieces of computer equipment belonging to him.

He was interviewed by police in September 2022 and denied any knowledge of the images. The court heard he was also found guilty of perverting the course of justice - a charge which related to his attempt to blackmail police.

Prosecutor James Wilson said the aggravating features of Ash's offending included the age and vulnerability of the child depicted and the fact the collection included moving images. He said while there were no sentencing guidelines for the perverting the course of justice offence, it was "obviously a serious offence", though he noted that "nothing further happened" after the defendant presented to the police documents making the threats therein.

In mitigation, former university academic Ash, who was representing himself, first apologised to the court for his lack of preparation. He claimed that all his documents were "destroyed" the previous day and he "had no time to prepare this morning". He said he had found the experience of being prosecuted "overwhelming and traumatic" and maintained, as he had done from the start, his innocence and denied any knowledge of the images. "The defendant has always stated that if he had ever seen such an image, he would have been compelled to inform the police," he told the court.

He added that he had no previous convictions and that his and others' lives had been "destroyed" following his arrest in 2019. He also said he had done work for charity - such as for mental health and homelessness - had endured two decades in a "controlling" relationship and had been diagnosed with PTSD in prison.

Sentencing the defendant, his honour judge Wayne Beard said he did not accept Ash's statement that his threats to police was "simply an attempt to get things noticed in terms of any investigation" but that he had "no doubt that your intent was to try to bring the charges that you faced to and end." The judge said the blackmail "strikes at the heart of justice", describing it as "manipulative and cynical", though acknowledged it was "unlikely to ever succeed in any way, shape or form".

As for the images, the judge said noted Ash had continued to deny any knowledge of the images and did not accept the jury's verdict, adding: "In my judgement therefore there is no prospect at this stage of any rehabilitation taking place by means of the probation service and the types of courses they involve sex offenders in."

He noted that Ash was previously of good character and took into account his charitable works and that he had had "some level of diagnosis in prison of PTSD". He sentenced the defendant to three years in prison in total. Ash was also subjected to a sexual harm prevention order for 10 years, meaning, among other requirements, that he cannot live in the same household as any child under the age of 16 unless with the permission of social services, and he will also be on the sex offenders' register for 10 years.

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A paedophile given a "significant chance" with a suspended sentence after being caught with child abuse images went on to repeat the offending, a court has heard.

When Jonathan Meadows' offender manager visited him at home during a routine visit she saw he was using a social media application under a different name - and that led to an examination of his devices which uncovered almost 100 indecent images along with prohibited images and extreme pornography.

Swansea Crown Court heard the youngest children in the images were estimated by police to be aged between six months and 12 months. Sending the defendant to prison, a judge told him that the pictures he had downloaded were of real children somewhere in the world being horribly sexually abused so people like him could masturbate over them.

Sian Cutter, prosecuting, said in April this year Meadows' offender manager conducted a monitoring visit at his house, and when she checked his phone she saw he was logged into social media and messaging app Discord under the name Julie Shepherd. The court heard that under the terms of a previously imposed sexual harm prevention order Meadows is banned from having social media accounts in any name other than his own unless he registers them with police.

The prosecutor said the discovery of the unauthorised social media name led the policewoman to seize the defendant's electronic devices. On his phone and an SD memory card officers subsequently found a total of 95 child sexual abuse images - including 17 Category A pictures and videos showing the most extreme forms of abuse including rape - along with 56 prohibited images, and five images of extreme pornography. Miss Cutter said the estimated age of the youngest child in the photographs was between six months and one year.

Jonathan Adrian Meadows, 30, of Clyne Court, Sketty Park, Sketty, Swansea, had previously pleaded guilty to three counts of making - that is possessing - indecent images, possession of prohibited images of children, possession of extreme pornography, and breaching a sexual harm prevention order (SHPO) when he appeared in the dock for sentencing. He has one previous conviction for seven offences - in 2020 he was given a suspended prison sentence and made the subject of a SHPO for three counts of making indecent images, three counts of distributing indecent images, and possession of extreme pornography.

Dan Griffiths, for Meadows, said the defendant was at pains to point out to the court that there was "no sinister motive" for having the Discord account in a different name - he said his client intends to transition and Julie Shepherd is the name he wants to adopt. He said his client realised that he should have told police about the account in the name of Julie Shepherd, and he said it had to be accepted that Meadow's engagement with the 2020 court order had been "superficial".

Judge Paul Thomas KC told the defendant he had been given a "significant chance" with the imposition of the previous suspended sentence but it was clear he had learned nothing. The judge told the defendant that possession of indecent images was not a victimless crime and the photographs he downloaded showed real children somewhere in the world being horribly abused so people like him could masturbate over them.

With a discount for his guilty pleas Meadows was sentenced to 21 months in prison comprising 12 months for breaching the SHPO and nine months for the image offences charges to run consecutively. He will serve up to half that period in custody before being released on licence to serve the remainder in the community. He will be a registered sex offender for the next 10 years, and the existing SHPO was allowed to continue.

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A nurse at one of Wales' biggest hospitals took pictures of his penis while at work and sent them to what he thought was a 13-year-old girl, a court has heard.

Phillip Hill had spent the previous couple of days sending highly sexual and explicit messages to the contact, and had made repeated requests for intimate images of her. In reality, the 54-year-old had been chatting to a so-called paedophile hunter, and members of the vigilante group confronted him in the car park outside Morriston Hospital at the end of a shift.

A subsequent search of the anaesthetic technician's computer uncovered hundreds of images of people having sex with horses and dogs, and searches for terms including "incest", "dead" and "Down's" in pornographic websites. Sending the defendant to prison, a judge said that, while Hall had been living an outwardly respectable life with a responsible job - which included providing anaesthetic care during children's surgery - it was clear he had "extremely deviant" sexual interests.

Ashanti-Jade Walton, prosecuting, told Swansea Crown Court that in January this year Hill engaged in highly sexual communications with a Facebook profile purporting to be that of a 13-year-old girl. She said the defendant initiated contact with the profile and "immediately" turned the conversation to sexual matters, asking the girl about masturbation, and sending her pictures of his penis. The barrister said the account the defendant was in contact with was actually being run by a vigilante paedophile hunter group.

The court heard the conversation moved to the GoogleChat app and there Hill made further repeated requests for topless and other intimate pictures of what he believed to be a young girl, and when she said she had never done anything like that he told her to "be brave" and said "just one photo then all done". He also talked about masturbation, and sent the girl videos of himself performing the act. During the conversations the defendant disclosed to the decoy that he was an anaesthetic technician in a hospital.

The court heard that on January 26 Hill sent the defendant further pictures of his penis - some of them taken while he wearing surgical scrubs and apparently in a changing room - and engaged in further sexual conversations. That evening, as he left work, the defendant was confronted in the car park of Morriston Hospital by members of a paedophile hunter group who then called the police. The court heard Hill had sent the decoy the last of the pictures of his penis just 20 minutes before he had left work.

Hill was arrested and gave a "no comment" interview before being released while police examined a number of electronic devices. On a Lenovo tablet device police found 288 images of extreme pornography showing adults having sex with horses and dogs - some with creation dates stretching back 10 years - and also uncovered his internet search history which included searches on pornographic sites for topics including "incest", "dead" and "Down's".

Phillip Hill, of Swansea Road, Pontlliw, Swansea, had previously pleaded guilty to attempted sexual communications with a child, attempting to incite a child to engage in sexual activity, attempting to cause a child to watch a sexual act, and possession of extreme pornography when he appeared in the dock for sentencing. He has no previous convictions.

Andrew Evans, for Hill, said it was clear from the pre-sentence report that the defendant himself had been trying to answer the question that no doubt the court would be asking - why did a family man leading a seemingly normal life with an extremely responsible job and no previous convictions act in the way he did? The advocate said it may be that there were "no easy answers" to that question. Mr Evans invited the court to consider passing a sentence which would allow the probation service to work with the defendant in addressing and tackling his "perverse interests".

Judge Paul Thomas KC said the appropriate sentence after trial on the guidelines for the communications offences was one of three years in prison - with the required one-third discount for the guilty pleas that was reduced to two years. Hill was also sentenced to three months for the extreme pornography offence to run consecutively making an overall sentence of two years and three months in prison. The defendant will serve up to half that period in custody before being released on licence to serve the remainder in the community. Hill will be a registered sex offender for the next 10 years, and was made the subject of a sexual harm prevention order for the same length of time.

Speaking after the sentencing, Swansea Bay University Health Board said it had been "shocked and horrified" to learn of Hill's offending, and said it wanted to assure people that there was no evidence that the offending had related to patients

A spokesman said: "We are shocked and horrified by the nature of these appalling offences. As soon as the health board was made aware of Mr Hill’s arrest our internal HR and safeguarding processes were activated. He was immediately removed from duty and has not worked for us since.

"No prior concerns had been raised about Mr Hill, and we can give assurances that no evidence has been found indicating that his offences related to any patients."

South Wales Police welcomed the sentencing of the defendant, with detective inspector Carl Price saying his behaviour had demonstrated a clear risk to children. He said: "I welcome Phillip Hill’s sentencing today. He showed clear sexual intent towards children. His behaviour clearly demonstrates a risk to children, and it is quite right that he has been given a custodial sentence for his actions. We will continue in our commitment to bring offenders like Phillip Hill to justice."

Meanwhile, the Crown Prosecution Service Cymru said that while no actual child was at risk in Hill's offending, the case was a stark reminder of the dangers children could face online.

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A PAEDOPHILE was snared as he tried to meet who he thought was a 14-year-old boy in Carmarthenshire.

On March 7 of this year, Emyr Anthony initiated contact online with who he thought was a teenage boy – but was in fact a decoy account.

The decoy replied the following day and the conversation moved to WhatsApp, where the decoy told Anthony he was 14, prosecutor Alycia Carpanini told Swansea Crown Court.

Anthony replied: ‘Yeah that’s okay, as long as you’re okay with my age’. He is 59.

Ms Carpanini said the defendant told the decoy he “likes kissing, cuddling, masturbating and sucking”, and “would go slowly” with the decoy. He also asked for a “sexy photograph”.

Anthony’s messages continued in a sexual nature, talking about masturbation and telling the decoy they would “work up slowly to penetration”.

They arranged to meet that day in Cross Hands. When the defendant arrived at the meeting spot, he was arrested by police.

He answered no comment in his interview that day, but at Magistrates’ Court admitted the offences.

Anthony, of Hawthorn Avenue in Gorseinon, has two previous convictions – in 2000 and 2011 – for 35 offences.

The court heard these convictions related to having indecent images of children, and Anthony had been subject to a sexual harm prevention order, which expired in 2021.

“Clearly the mitigation in this case is limited,” David Singh, representing Anthony, admitted.

He said the author of a pre-sentence report had said Anthony was “at a loss” to explain the reason behind his offending.

“I’m not here to lecture you but it seems to me the interest you have shown sexually is an unhealthy and paedophilic interest in young boys,” Judge Huw Rees told the defendant.

Mr Singh said his client would benefit from professional intervention and support to address his offending, as he had not received that in the past.

Anthony was jailed for two years for arranging or facilitating the commission of a child sex offence, and was handed a six-month sentence, running concurrently, for attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child.

He was told he must register as a sex offender for 10 years, and was made the subject of a sexual harm prevention order for the same period of time.

A joint operation by Tarian Regional Organised Crime Unit and Dyfed-Powys Police had resulted in the arrest and prosecution of Anthony.

Detective Inspector Mathew Davies, of Tarian, said: “This is excellent joint working between Tarian and Dyfed-Powys Police. The focus of the operation was to target high-harm offenders, whilst safeguarding and protecting children.

“At Tarian, we have specialist officers who work tirelessly to protect children online as well as target those perpetrators, such as Anthony.

“It is our absolute priority to protect and keep children safe in our communities.

“If anyone has been a victim of child sexual abuse, I urge you to report it to your local police force via 101. We will always follow up allegations of abuse, no matter when they occurred.

"Victims can talk in confidence to experienced investigators and we can also help them get access to a range of other support services.

“If you have concerns about your use of the internet or inappropriate thoughts or behaviour about children or if you are worried about how someone you know behaves around children or are worried about their use of the internet then the Lucy Faithfull Foundation provide a free, anonymous and confidential Stop It Now! helpline on 0808 1000 900 for advice, support and information.”

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Anthony Pitman, aged 51, from Pontarddulais has been sentenced today (14 April) to 21 years in prison for raping a teenage girl.

He was found guilty at Swansea Crown Court on Wednesday 12 April of 21 offences which occurred over a period of seven years from 2010 to 2017.

The offences started when the girl was just 12 years old.

Detective Constable James Llewellyn from South Wales Police said, The victim in this case was abused in the worst ways possible and Anthony Pitman exploited her for his own pleasure.

I would like to praise her for the immense bravery she has shown in reporting what happened to police."

I hope this case will demonstrate that we will always listen to and support anyone who reports matters to us and offenders will be held accountable for the crimes they commit.

This sentencing sends a clear message that child sexual exploitation will never be acceptable, and we will ensure anyone who engages in this type of behaviour will be brought to justice, as we have seen today

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A man who raped a woman went on to harass and stalk his victim after being released on police bail.

Harvey Blyth sent the woman a series of "vile" messages via social media and began to harass her. When police searched 20-year-old Blyth's phone they found videos of children being sexually abused, he had made "disturbing" internet searches, and had shared a private sexual video of a woman.

Swansea Crown Court heard heard Blyth has significant mental health and psychological issues which have largely gone untreated, and that a probation officer determined that he should be categorised as a dangerous offender. As the defendant was given a 10-year extended sentence he told the judge "I'm a bit upset about that. I was expecting three or four years".

Craig Jones, prosecuting, told the court that after the rape Blyth performed a sex act over his victim. The incident was reported to the police and the defendant was arrested and interviewed, and then released on conditional police bail. The prosecutor said Blyth then "embarked on a campaign of what could properly be called harassment" which included sending "vile" and abusive messages to his victim via Facebook. Blyth was arrested and interviewed about his breach of bail conditions, and then released - and went back to harassing his victim on social media.

The court heard the defendant was arrested again, and while being held in Swansea Central police station subjected an officer to racist abuse. Following this arrest a number of Blyth's phones and other devices were seized, and officers found three videos showing boys aged between 10 and 14 being sexually abused as well as a video showing a man having sex with an animal. An examination of his internet history showed the defendant had been making searches including "is rape okay" as well as "paedo rapes kids" and "naked 5 year old". Police also found that Blyth had sent had an intimate video which he had surreptitiously shot to somebody else.

In an impact statement which was read to the court the victim of the rape said the experience had left her feeling "wrecked inside". She said she now feels anxious and scared of men, and is far less sociable than she used to be. The court heard the woman whose video Blyth shared now feels "haunted" by the idea that the footage "may still be be out there". In his statement, the officer who the defendant racially abused said he had been distressed and embarrassed at what happened in front of his colleagues.

Harvey Kristian Blyth, of Beauchamp Walk, Gorseinon, Swansea, had previously been convicted at trial of rape and had pleaded guilty to disclosing a private video, stalking, making - that is possessing - indecent images of Category A, possession of extreme pornography, and racially aggravated disorder when he appeared in the dock via videolink for sentencing.

Georgina Buckley, for Blyth, said there was a letter from the defendant's parents before the court as well as psychiatric and psychological reports which set out his mental health issues. The barrister said for the first time the defendant was now receiving medication, and that Blyth's parents had seen a "remarkable change" in him as a result.

Judge Geraint Walters said the rape had taken place while Blyth was under the influence of alcohol and cocaine and after he had "partied hard". He said the defendant had then been "relentless" in trying to contact his victim despite attempts by police to reign him in. The judge said police had subsequently found evidence of the "disturbing" internet searches Blyth had been making.

Judge Walters said it was clear from everything he had read about the defendant that he had had behavioural problems from an early age which his parents had tried their best to deal with, and there was a "significant amount of work" which needed to be done with him. He described Blyth as a "young man with profound and complex needs" who seemed to have little understanding of the difference between right and wrong, and he said a detailed probation report had concluded that the defendant was a dangerous offender in the meaning of the legislation who would continue to be so until he was appropriately treated.

Blyth was made the subject of a 10-year extended sentence comprising seven years in custody followed by a three year extended licence. The defendant can apply for release after serving two thirds of the custodial element of the sentence but it will be for the Parole Board to determine if he is safe to be released. Blyth will be a registered sex offender for the result of his life.

As the sentence was passed Blyth said to the judge: "I'm a bit upset about that. I was expecting three or four years."

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Jordan Hill "groomed" a young girl on Facebook and sent her highly sexualised messages and videos later claimed his account had been hacked, a court has heard.

Jordan Hill was caught after a family member of the victim found concerning messages on a phone she had been using, and alerted the child's mother. The defendant's barrister said his client was ashamed of what he had done.

Helen Randall, prosecuting, told Swansea Crown Court that Hill communicated with his victim - who was aged 13 at the time of the offending - via Facebook. The defendant complimented the girl and told her she was beautiful, and asked her if she wanted to tease him by "talking dirty".

The court heard that during a series of conversations Hill talked about anal and oral sex with the child, asked if she had a friend who could join a threesome, sent explicit videos of himself, and requested she masturbate. There was also evidence the girl had sent Hill videos or pictures of herself but these have not been recovered and their content is not known.

The prosecutor said the offending came to light when the girl stayed with a family member and asked to borrow a phone so she could check social media as she had left her mobile at home. At the end of the stay the family member noticed the guest had not logged out of her accounts on the phone, and when the device was checked some of the messages and videos the defendant had been sending were discovered. The quick-thinking family member took screenshots of the offending material before alerting the girl's mother.

Hill was identified and arrested, and during his interview he denied sending the messages and said his Facebook page must have been hacked. An expert report was subsequently commissioned to see if there was any evidence that Hill's account had been accessed by third parties or whether any viruses or malware could have been responsible for sending the messages - the report found no evidence to support his claims.

Jordan Hill, aged 22, of Tyle Teg, Clydach, Swansea Valley, had previously pleaded guilty to sexual communication with a child and to inciting a child to engage in sexual acts when he appeared in the dock for sentencing. He has no previous convictions.

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Paedophile pensioner David Jenkins claims his interest in children 'comes from a place of kindness'

A child sex offender has been given an extended sentence as a dangerous offender after a court ruled he posed a significant risk to youngsters. Concerns had been raised by members of the public about pensioner David Jenkins loitering in a leisure centre changing room, giving sweets to children, and setting up a computer gaming room in his house before he went on to sexually assault a young boy.

The 70-year-old denies he has any sexual interest in children and insists his behaviour towards them "comes from a place of kindness" but a probation officer has concluded he is a "predatory" sex offender. Swansea Crown Court heard that last summer year a boy returned home after meeting friends in a park and told his mother he had been engaged in sexual conversation by a man, had a penis shown to him, and been hugged. The police were alerted to the incident and Jenkins was identified and arrested.

Georgina Donohue, prosecuting, said in his subsequent interview 70-year-old Jenkins accepted he had talked about "erections and masturbation" with a young boy but denied getting any sexual gratification from it. Jenkins has a previous conviction for sexually assaulting a child in the 1980s.

The court heard that though it had not resulted in any charges concerns had previously been raised by local parents while Jenkins was living in Morriston. Police had been told that the defendant was giving sweets to children and engaging them in conversations and it was later found he had installed a large TV and a computer games console in a room in his house with the apparent intention of encouraging youngsters to visit. Concerns had also been raised about the defendant loitering around the showers and changing rooms of a Swansea leisure centre. The court heard police had been considering applying for a stand lone sexual harm prevention order against Jenkins to help control his behaviour when he went on to sexually assault the young boy.

David Jenkins, now of Neath Road, Rhos, Pontardawe, admitted engaging in sexual communications with a child under 13 and to sexual assault of a child. The court heard that in 2010 he was jailed for 42 for five counts of sexually assaulting a girl in the 1980s.

Andrew Evans, for Jenkins, said the defendant accepted his behaviour had been "completely inappropriate and wrong". He said given the contents of the pre-sentence report into his client it would be difficult to argue for any sentence other than one of immediate custody and he said it was to be hoped the defendant would spend his time in prison "fruitfully" by reflecting in his conduct.

Judge Christopher Vosper KC said he had carefully read the pre-sentence report, which had been written by a very experienced probation officer. He said the report concluded Jenkins was a "predatory and calculated sexual offender". He noted the report said the defendant denied having any sexual interest in children and claims his behaviour towards youngsters "comes from a place of kindness" but the probation officer had concluded he poses a high risk to children.

The judge said he was satisfied an extended sentence was necessary to protect the public but he said the sentence he was about to pass was an unusual one as, given the relevant sentences for the offences before the court, the extended element would be significantly longer than the custodial term. Jenkins was given an extended sentence of six years and eight months comprising one year and eight months in custody followed by an extended five-year licence period. The defendant must serve two-thirds of the custodial element of the sentence before he can apply for release but it will be for the Parole Board to decide if he is safe to be released. Jenkins will be a registered sex offender for the rest of his life and was made the subject of a 10-year sexual harm prevention order.

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A child sex offender hid his past to go on a caravanning holiday with a friend and her young son, a court has heard.

Jonathan Harris was also a regular visitor to the family's home, including on occasions sleeping there overnight. However, the 27-year-old is banned from having unsupervised contact with boys under 16 unless the child's parents know about his past conviction for causing a child to engage in sexual activity.

Swansea Crown Court that Harris' concealing of his past was the second beach of a sexual harm prevention order in less than two years - on the first occasion he had secretly installed WhatsApp on his phone and had been visiting online chat rooms with names such as "teen chat" and "squirt". 

Ieuan Rees, prosecuting, said Harris befriend a woman he met in Swansea Market, and though the relationship was initially sexual it later became platonic in nature. He said the defendant was a "regular" visitor to the house where the woman lived with her child, on occasions spending the night at the address. Then in September Harris went with the woman and her child to a caravan park for a three-night break.

The court heard it was only in October that Harris told the woman about his previous conviction for child sexual offences, and about the restrictions he was under as a result. The mum reported the matter to police and the defendant was arrested at his place of work in Swansea Docks. He subsequently made full admissions in interview.

Jonathan Harris, formerly of Sageston, Tenby, Pembrokeshire, but now of The Kingsway in Swansea city centre, had previously pleaded guilty to breaching the conditions of a sexual harm prevention order when he appeared in the dock for sentencing.

In 2019 Harris was sentenced to 27 months in prison for causing a child under 16 to engage in sexual activity and causing a child under 16 to watch a sexual act, and he was placed on the sex offenders register and made the subject of a sexual harm prevention order (SHPO) to control his access to young boys. Just days after getting out of prison on licence for those matters he breached the SHPO by joining dating websites including Match and Elite Singles, making online searches using terms such as "teen porn", visiting online chat rooms with names including "teen chat" and "squirt", and installing the WhatsApp messaging application. In October 2020 he was jailed for what the judge described as that "flagrant breach" the order.

David Rees, for Harris, said the defendant moved to Swansea to make a fresh start after "effectively being hounded out" of Sageston by vigilantes, securing his own accommodation in the city and then finding a job. He said his client retained the support of his family, and also acknowledged the omissions which had led him to being in dock.

Judge Paul Thomas KC told Harris he had committed a "persistent and blatant" breach of SHPO, not only by being a regular visitor to the woman's house but also going on holiday with her and her young son. The judge said he accepted the defendant had eventually told the woman about his past conviction but he said it was clear Harris had not learned his lesson following his jailing for the first breach. With a one third discount for his guilty plea, Harris was sentenced to 10 months in prison. He will serve up to half that period in custody before being released on licence to serve the remainder in the community.

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Keith Bold was using Russian websites were users share photos of child sex abuse.

A "committed paedophile" engaged in vile online conversations about child rape and sent indecent images to an undercover police officer, a court has heard.

Keith Bold - who also uses the name Stuart Jones - met what he believed was a fellow paedophile on a Russian website where users upload and share images of child sex abuse. Bold was using the name Stefan Vilchek during the exchanges but the officer suspected it was in fact the defendant, a registered sex offender with a long history of online sexual offences involving children. Part of that offending saw the 59-year-old making numerous trips to Ukraine.

Megan Jones, prosecuting, told Swansea Crown Court that in September this year Bold began communicating with another user of a Russia-based website, a website where people could share the "sexualised images of children". Bold, calling himself Stefan Vilchek, then began emailing his contact, and during their conversations he talked about how he had raped and abused children both in the UK and abroad. 

The defendant then sent the other man images of girls as young as four being sexually abused, and also discussed sharing information on an app with end-to-end encryption. Miss Jones said the man Bold was communicating with was actually an undercover police officer, and the officer suspected Vilchek was actually Swansea sex offender Bold.

Police executed a search warrant at the defendant's house on the evening of September 30, and when cautioned and told why he was being arrested replied: "Oh really". Officers seized a number of devices including laptops, memory sticks, a phone, and a computer hard drive. In his subsequent interview Bold said the online discussions about his sexual activity with children had been "fantasies" but he admitted he was sexually attracted to children aged between six and 10 and admitted using Mega because of its encryption facilities. Read about a paedophile who took photographs of himself sexually abusing a baby.

Keith Bold, formerly of Pen-y-Dre, Gowerton, but now of Griffith John Street, Waun Wen, Swansea, had previous pleaded guilty to distributing indecent images of children of Categories B and C and to breaching the terms of a sexual harm prevention order (SHPO) by using a false name online when he appeared in the dock for sentencing. He has three previous convictions for 29 offences, all relating to online child sex matters.

In December 2010 Jones was jailed for distributing indecent images of children, and the following year convicted of encouraging the commission of indictable offences - chatlogs recovered from computers seized during the 2010 investigation showed he had been inciting other men to commit the sexual abuse of young children. In 2017 Bold was sentenced to a total of 27-months in prison for offences including possession of indecent images of Categories A - showing the most extreme kinds of sexual abuse and rape - B and C. It also emerged he had visiting Russian websites known to host underage child pictures, had been searching for “flat-chested sex dolls”, had been reading pornographic fiction involving children, and had made repeated trips to Ukraine "in furtherance" of his interest in obtaining images of children.

Rhiannon Lee, for Bold, said the defendant's sexual attraction to young children stemmed from his own traumatic childhood experiences. She said the defendant suffered with depression and had previously been medicated for the condition but that medication had caused episodes of bipolar mania which caused him to go on spending sprees and which results in considerable debts. She said as Bold's debts increased his mental health deteriorated and he turned to the offending before the court "to make himself feel better".

Judge Paul Thomas KC described Bold as a "committed paedophile" who had breached the term of his sexual harm prevention order in a "sophisticated, calculated, brazen and persistent" way. He told the defendant that the children in the images he had shared were real youngsters somewhere in the world being "unspeakably abused" to give people like him sexual thrills.

With a one-third discount for his guilty pleas Bold was sentenced to a total of two years and eight months in prison. He will serve up to half that period in custody before being released on licence to serve the remainder in the community.

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A police online investigation team were alerted to the images being downloaded at Joshua Bevan's home in Swansea Indecent images of children as young as four being abused were found on the phone of a convicted sex offender, a court has heard. In June 2021, South Wales Police officers from the online investigation team based in Bridgend were alerted to a computer linked to an address in Crwys Terrace, Penlan, Swansea - Joshua Neil Bevan's home address, was being used to download indecent images of children. Detectives from the department turned up at his address at 7.10am on June 21, where they told him and his mother that they would be carrying out a search on the property. They examined electronic devices including a Samsung mobile phone found in Bevan's bedroom. Swansea Crown Court heard the phone was examined by a digital forensic officer who located a secure folder on the device. It was accessed and multiple indecent videos depicting child abuse and extreme pornography were discovered on the messenger application Kik. Bevan was arrested and taken to the police station to be interviewed. He accepted ownership of the phone, but answered no comment regarding the material found on the device. A further examination was carried out of the advice and it found 12 indecent videos within a chat group on Kik which Bevan was a member of together with eight other members. Two of the videos were category A - the most serious, one category C, and nine containing extreme pornography. The recordings were of girls as young as four. Prosecutor Dean Pulling told the court Bevan, aged 29, is a sex offender who was convicted in 2014 for making and possessing indecent photographs of children for which he was sentenced to a community order at the time and a five-year sexual offences prevention order. He appeared at Swansea Crown Court for sentencing having previously pleaded guilty to two counts of making indecent photographs of a child and possessing an extreme pornographic image portraying an act of intercourse/oral sex with a dead/alive animal. Mitigating, his solicitor John Allchurch said: "The material was found on an app called Kik, which is shared by the defendant with others. Someone other than the defendant saved the material to the group. His mistake was, particularly with his background and previous convictions, that he didn't leave the group or leave the app from his mobile phone. He is now 29, a single man and resides at his address with his mother. He is not working and has not done for the last ten years due to mental health issues." Sentencing Bevan to eight months in prison, Judge Paul Thomas said: "The physical and emotional damage that occurs to the girls (depicted in the photographs) can only be guessed at. Those things are happening to young children because people like you provide a market for it so you can masturbate to it. There were also images of people having sex with animals. I accept you have mental health issues, however, in my view, there is no prospect of rehabilitation. You had that chance and didn't take advantage of it."

Description

A former children's entertainer and clown who was caught with thousands of indecent images on his phone failed to tell police he had moved to a new town, a court has heard.

When officers found Kingsley Perera at his new address - following information received from the Department for Work and Pensions - they found what appeared to be a child's bedroom in the property, complete with "racing car" bed.

Swansea Crown Court heard the 59-year-old has "memory issues", and the fact he is required to tell police if he moves "fell off the radar".

Perera was jailed for 10 months in December 2020 after being caught almost 4,000 images of children being sexual abused and raped on his mobile phones, including more than 600 so-called Category A photos which show the most extreme kind of abuse. He denied he was responsible for downloading the images and at trial sought to blame others - including his own sister - who he said had acted out of spite, or for their own sexual purposes. As part of his sentence he was made the subject of a sexual harm prevention order for 10 years and was placed on the sex offenders register for the same length of time - under the notification requirements he must tell police about any new address within three days.

Stephen Rees, prosecuting, told the court that on March 17 this year police officers went to a house on Pen-y-Cae Road in Port Talbot following information received from the Department for Work and Pensions. In the driveway of the property was a vehicle which was insured in the defendant's name. Officers spent around 10 minutes knocking on the front door until the defendant looked out from the bathroom window.

The officers were let into the house, and the court heard they were concerned that one of the bedrooms appeared to be a child's room complete with a "racing car" bed.

Kingsley Perera, now of Pier Street in Swansea Maritime Quarter, had previously pleaded guilty to breaching sexual registration notification requirements when he appeared in the dock for sentencing.

Vince Williams, for Perera, said the defendant had been evicted from his previous property on Hanover Street in Swansea, and had then been put in touch with a landlord who provided accommodation to former inmates. He said in the stress of being homeless and trying to find somewhere to live, notifying the police of the change of address had "fallen off the radar". He added that while not an excuse, there was evidence that Perera had "memory issues".

Judge Wayne Beard said he had read a pre-sentence on the defendant, and it was of concern that the he still seemed to maintain his position that he was not guilty of the possession of images charges. However he said it was significant that the author of the report concluded Perera posed a greater risk if he were sent back to custody than if he were to undergo a rehabilitation course in the community.

The judge said the offence of failing to abide by notification requirements was a serious one but he said "it seems the public would be better protected in these circumstances if I were to impose a suspended sentence".

With a one-third discount for his guilty plea Perera was sentenced to 24 weeks in prison suspended for 18 months, and was ordered to complete a rehabilitation requirement with a Maps for Change sex offenders course.

Description

Samuel Morris has pleaded guilty to 40 counts of sexual offences against children aged between 11-15yrs old. He was sent to prison for 11 years and has also been given an indefinite sexual harm prevention order.

Morris offences included inciting children to engage in penetrative activity, inciting sexual activity and numerous offences of sexual communication with a child.

Morris also pleaded guilty to possessing indecent images of children of Category A, B, C, extreme pornography and prohibited images and to the distribution of indecent images of children online.

South Wales Police Online Investigation Team (POLIT) conducted a thorough and complex online investigation which resulted in children being identified within the UK as well as in USA and Australia.

POLIT detectives identified that Morris had been posing as a 16 year-old boy on social media platforms such as Instagram and Snapchat to meet children and establish a relationship.

He encouraged children to send indecent images of themselves which he captured with screen recording equipment and saved to his devices before sharing a number of these with other sex offenders via online forums.

The investigation resulted in 31 children aged between 11 and 15 years old being identified as victims.

Due to the complex and thorough investigation conducted by South Wales Police Detectives from the Specialist Crime, Police Online Investigation Team led to an early guilty plea and todays sentence.

Description

A paedophile who went on the run to the Costa del Sol and was tracked down to a Spanish prison has been given an extended sentence as a dangerous sex offender.

After being brought back to Wales Simon Dove was given a suspended sentence and made the subject of a sexual harm prevention order designed to control his online behaviour - but just weeks later he bought a laptop and started downloading images of child sex abuse, and installing software designed to hide his activities.

Sending the 51-year-old down, a judge said he posed a high risk of causing sexual harm to children.

Jim Davies, prosecuting, told Swansea Crown Court that in September 2009 officers investigating the downloading of indecent images went to an address in Port Talbot looking for Dove. Present at the property was the daughter of the defendant's former partner, and she handed over two of his computers. An examination of the drives found the presence of indecent images.

The following January police went to an address in London where Dove was staying and seized a number of electronic devices, including a laptop computer. Again indecent images were found along with evidence the defendant had been communicating with fellow paedophiles on Yahoo Messenger and sharing pictures via peer-to-peer file sharing software.

Dove was interviewed and released on bail but then fled the country and disappeared. While on the run, the defendant was charged with 34 counts of making and distributing indecent images and one of possessing extreme pornography,

The defendant came to the attention of police again - Spanish this time - in July 2016 when officers raided a property on the Costa del Sol and seized computer equipment which contained 7,000 indecent images, some of them "of the very worst kind" showing young children being sexually tortured. Spanish police also found Dove had again been sharing the images with like-minded people through peer-to-peer software.

The prosecutor said Dove was sentenced to five years in prison by a court in Malaga, and then in 2020 he was extradited back to the UK.

The defendant appeared in Swansea Crown Court last July where he was sentenced to a total of 18 months in prison suspended for 18 months, ordered him to complete 200 hours of unpaid work and a rehabilitation course, and was made the subject of a sexual harm prevention order (SHPO) for the offending committed before he went on the run to Spain.

But within weeks Dove was breaching that order.

The court heard that in December 2021 police in Swansea received information that the defendant owned an internet-enabled device which he had not told them about. Officers searched the room in the Oystermouth Road guesthouse where he was living and found a mini laptop computer hidden under the duvet. On the device were indecent images as well as a link to online cloud storage which contained scores of videos of child sex abuse.

The court heard the laptop also had cleaning software to wipe files, an app for a virtual private network or VPN which allows users to hide their internet identity, and the Kik messaging app. The prosecutor said officers also found apps which linked to 14 different email accounts. In total police found he had 175 indecent images and videos of children as young as four, and that 68 of them were in Category A - that is videos and pictures showing the rape of children and other sexual violence. Dove had begun downloading the pictures in September, just a matter of weeks after being given the suspended sentence and SHPO.

Simon Matthew Dove, formerly of Port Talbot but now of Oystermouth Road, Swansea, had previously pleaded guilty to four counts of possessing indecent images and to breaching a SHPO when he appeared in the dock for sentencing.

Huw Davies, for Dove, said the defendant was "contrite" and wanted to tell the court that it was his intention not to repeat the offences. He said his client indicated he would comply with any orders made by the court, and was willing to work with the authorities to reduce the risk of him re-offending.

Judge Catherine Richards told Dove that by his actions in downloading the indecent pictures and videos he was "supporting the abuse and rape of young girls, and the worst kinds of sexual violence".

She said his behaviour following the imposition of the suspended sentence and SHPO had been deliberate and planned, and in her view and in the view of the author of the pre-sentence report he should be considered a dangerous offender who posed a high risk of sexual harm to children. As such, she said, an extended sentence was necessary.

With one-quarter discounts for his guilty pleas Dove was made the subject of an extended sentence of four years and three months comprising two years and three months in custody followed by a two-year extended licence. He must serve two-thirds of the custodial element of the sentence before he can apply for release but it will be for the Parole Board to determine if he is safe to be let out. He will be a registered sex offender for the next 10 years.

Description

A man who subjected a young girl to a string of sickening sexual assaults rang police almost two decades later to report what he had done.

Kenneth Kesans, who also goes by the name Kenneth Rowles, told officers he needed to "come clean" about what he had done in his past.

Swansea Crown Court heard the abuse he subjected his victim to in the early 2000s has had a devastating effect on her life.

The 43-year-old defendant has now been given an extended sentence as an offender of particular concern.

Carina Hughes, prosecuting, told the court that Kesans carried out a series of indecent assaults on the girl over a lengthy period which culminated in an attempted rape of the crying child. On occasions he plied the girl with alcohol, made her perform sex acts on him, and threatened her into silence.

The court heard the abuse went unreported for almost two decades until 2021 when Kesans rang the police from a public phone box in Swansea 's Maritime Quarter. During the call he told officers he couldn't stop thinking about what he had done, adding: "I need to get it off my chest - I need to come clean."

Miss Hughes said police tracked down the victim of the abuse, and went to her house to speak to her. The woman told them she had always been terrified that if she did report the abuse it would her word against his, and nobody would believe her.

In a statement from the victim which was read to the court she detailed the devastating impact the abuse has had on her life, saying she as a youngster she became socially isolated and withdrawn, then started self-harming and suffered nightmares of having snakes in her bed. She said she had felt embarrassed and ashamed at what had happened but it wasn't until she had gone to university that she had sought counselling - though even then she had not disclosed the abuse to her counsellor.

Kenneth John Kesans, of Heol Frank, Penlan, Swansea, had previously pleaded guilty to one count of attempted rape and to seven counts of indecent assault when he appeared in the dock for sentencing.

David Singh, for Kesans, said the fact the defendant had contacted the police to report the offending demonstrated a degree of "responsibility, remorse and regret" for what he had put the complainant through.

Recorder Mark Powell QC told Kesans he had committed extremely serious offences, offences which meant he was regarded as what is known as an offender of particular concern.

He said it was clear from what he had heard and read about the victim that she was a young woman of "considerable fortitude", and he said she should feel no shame of guilt over what the defendant had done to her.

With one-third discounts for his guilty pleas Kesans was given a 13-year extended sentence comprising 12 years in custody with an extended one-year licence period. He will be a registered sex offender for the rest of his life, and was made the subject of an indefinite sexual harm prevention order.