Latest Offenders Cardiff

Description

A depraved man with an obsession for child abuse images took pictures of teenagers urinating in public and then shared them online.

David Parsons, 38, was found in possession of hundreds of indecent images of young children and distributed thousands of images to other paedophiles, including films involving children between six and 12 months old.

The defendant was also found with images he had taken in Cardiff and Bristol of teenage boys urinating in public toilets, including the Cardiff City Stadium.

A sentencing hearing at Cardiff Crown Court on Thursday also heard that Parsons' partner James Carlyon was also found with indecent images of children, the youngest being six months old.

Prosecutor Byron Broadstock said: "On April 9, officers from the police online investigation team executed a search warrant at Forest View, Fairwater, the home address of David Parsons and persons at the address including Parsons and Carlyon.

"The reason for their attendance was explained and Parsons said 'you're going to find images'."

Two mobile phones, belonging to each defendant, was seized and a laptop from Carlyon's home in Quakers Yard, Merthyr Tydfil, was also seized.

On Parsons' phone, officers found; 87 images and four movies of category A, 83 images and six movies of category B, and 703 images and one movie of category C.

The court heard there were links to storage services and active links containing images and video files, in the defendant's notes app on his phone.

Mr Broadstock added: "There were conversations between the defendant and others with similar interests in which they discussed which images they possessed and what images they sought.

"The defendant offered to forward images to others."

The amount distributed by Parsons included; two images and 1,816 movies of category A, eight images and 1,731 movies of category B and 40 images and 396 movies of category C.

During one of the conversations, Parsons was quoted as saying "I have often thought about getting a run away street kid for sex".

Officers also found eight images taken of teenagers urinating in public toilets without their knowledge. One of these was taken in Bristol on December 6, 2019, and at the Cardiff City Stadium on January 31, this year.

On Carlyon's mobile phone, police discovered; 51 images and 176 movies of category A, 43 images and 38 movies of category B, 82 images and nine movies of category C, 40 images and one movie of extreme pornography and one image and one movie of prohibited images.

There was also images of clothed teenage boys taken by Carlyon without their knowledge, at a Merthyr Tydfil retail park where the defendant worked. These images were not subject to charges.

Parsons, of Forest View, Fairwater, pleaded guilty to possession of indecent images, distribution of indecent images and voyeurism.

The defendant had a previous conviction from 2011 for possessing indecent images of children.

Carlyon, whose address was also given as Forest View, Fairwater, pleaded guilty to possession of indecent images, extreme pornographic images and prohibited images of children.

Barrister Richard Ace, representing Parsons, said his client was willing to work to overcome his "entrenched difficulties and problems" and had been working with the Lucy Faithfull Foundation.

He added: "The defendant previously worked at a managerial level in retail. These relapses took place in a period of his life where he lost his job because of his previous conviction which led to minor levels of depression and caused him to do this offending again."

Barrister James Evans, representing Carlyon, said his client had no previous convictions and there was no evidence of distribution in his case.

Sentencing Parsons, Judge Michael Fitton QC said: "The total picture adds to portraying a man who is not just interested in paedophilic images but an obsession with it and your obsession had led you to taking photographs of other people in public places in the act of urination, and sharing it.

"You are a man who has such a depraved outlook there's no question of any means of dealing with you other than a custodial sentence."

Addressing Carlyon, Judge Fitton added: "There are features of your conduct which show a shared interest and common view. The circumstances in which you have been looking together is relevant to how your own thinking and conduct has been degraded.

"If you continue or reestablish a relationship with the defendant and find yourself in court again for similar offences you will be going to prison. If you move on from that relationship and take the opportunity I am giving you, you have the opportunity to move on with your life."

Parsons was sentenced to three years imprisonment and was made subject to a sexual harm prevention order.

Carlyon was sentenced to eight months imprisonment suspended for two years, and was made subject to a 10 day rehabilitation activity requirement and a 10 year sexual harm prevention order.

Description

An "extremely devious" paedophile tried to groom two teenage girls online and encouraged them to meet with him.

Christopher Walsh, from Barry, contacted online accounts he thought belonged to two teenage girls, aged 13 and 14, in early 2019.

The 41-year-old encouraged the two teenagers to send pictures of themselves in swimming costumes and in the bath, before asking them to meet up with him.

But the accounts were actually decoys used by adults to report predators to the police, a sentencing hearing at Newport Crown Court heard on Friday.

A judge said the evidence suggested Walsh, who has numerous convictions for sexual offences against children, has a "longstanding, entrenched and predatory sexual interest in children".

Prosecutor Eugene Egan said Walsh contacted the social media account of what he thought was a 14-year-old girl on March 20, 2019.

Mr Egan told the court the person he was actually speaking to was an adult.

"He said that he was 40," Mr Egan said.

"He asked if she had a boyfriend. He said that he was from Barry in south Wales and suggested they could meet in a hotel.

"He told her to keep their conversation secret. He told her she was beautiful and that he wanted to meet her."

Mr Egan said Walsh asked to see a picture of the girl in a swimming suit and began to speak to her in "more sexual ways" as time went on.

Walsh later "offered to help her with sex education".

"He offered to teach her about sex and assured her it wouldn't hurt her," Mr Egan said.

Mr Egan said he also encouraged her to masturbate, before the contact between the two ended on March 20.

The prosecutor said the second offence was also committed with a decoy, this time a social media account purporting to belong to a 13-year-old girl.

Between February 26 and March 30, 2019, Mr Egan said Walsh engaged in repeated communication with the account.

Walsh told the girl he was 40 years old, competed as a cage fighter, and "invited her to Wales for a walk on the beach".

Mr Egan said Walsh encouraged her to masturbate and take a photograph of herself in the bath.

He also suggested moving nearer her address "to be closer to her" and that he wanted to "play with her flower".

Walsh was arrested in April 2019, and initially made denials in a police interview.

"The case against him was frankly overwhelming," Mr Egan said.

Walsh, of Evans Street, Barry, pleaded guilty to two counts of engaging in sexual communication with a child.

The prosecution told the court Walsh has a significant history of similar offending.

In 1999, he was sentenced to 18 months in a young offenders' institution for an indecent assault on a female under 16.

In March 2002, he received a five-year sentence for two offences of indecent assault of a female under 14.

In 2008, he was convicted of another offence of engaging in sexual activity with a child under 16, for which he received a four-year sentence.

Walsh further failed to comply with registration notification requirements and has received convictions for that, Mr Egan said.

Andrew Taylor, defending, said his client deserved credit for his early guilty pleas.

"He has a record showing that he is attracted to young women," Mr Taylor said.

"He has to accept that that is something that is not tolerated in today's society and so far as the criminal justice system is concerned it will not be tolerated in future."

Addressing the defendant, Judge Daniel Williams said: "You are 41 years of age with 51 previous convictions including convictions for sexual offences in 1999, 2002, and 2008.

"You pose a high risk of causing sexual harm to children and I'm satisfied on all the evidence that you have a longstanding, entrenched and predatory sexual interest in children.

"You are extremely devious. The spectre of you at your computer keyboard is every parent's nightmare."

Walsh was sentenced to two years and three months in prison.

He was made the subject of a sexual harm prevention order and must sign the sex offender's register, both for a period of 10 years.

Description

Dylan Jones even performed at mother-and-baby gigs

A comedian who has performed at mother-and-baby gigs has a conviction for child pornography.

Dylan Jones, now 53, received a 12-month suspended sentence in 2017 under his real name of David Parton after police found 549 indecent images of children on his computer when they visited his home in Penarth, near Cardiff. He remains on the sex offenders’ register.

Comedians on the South Wales circuit reacted with shock and revulsion after learning about his past, and feared his use of a stage name was designed to hide his conviction.

The case also raises questions about what checks promoters should make on comics performing at family gigs. The law does not require sex offenders to volunteer their convictions, but must do so if an employer asks.

Parton apologised for ‘the hurt I  have caused to the comedy community’ as well as the victims of the images he downloaded, and said he had successfully been seeking help for his problems. A total of 44 of the images were of the most serious kind, category A. 

His 2017 sentence was suspended for two years. He was also ordered to carry out 100 hours’ unpaid work, be subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for ten years and to register as a sex offender for the same amount of time.

At Cardiff Crown Court, he admitted that he had been viewing images for four or five years and had an interest in spanking. He said he had never wanted to participate in such activity and needed help. Passing sentence,  Recorder Simon Mills acknowledged  Parton had assisted the police, expressed remorse and pleaded guilty at the first opportunity.

Since his conviction, Parton has continued to perform on the stand-up circuit under his new stage name, including performing at two mother-and-baby gigs, Babi Comedy, last autumn.

After his conviction was revealed on a Facebook group for Cardiff-based comedians yesterday, colleagues registered their disgust. One even said: ‘I've been in a car with him, been to gigs with him,  lived next door to him. And now I feel physically ill and like I have to phone my Dad to tell him to move because I won't go over the house ever again knowing he breathes next door.’ 

Others said: This is very shocking and saddening and I only hope he understands the magnitude of what he's been doing’; ’I like everyone else was totally unaware of this sickening news. I find myself in complete shock and anger’; and  ‘There are so many layers of horrible to this that it's hard to know what to think other than at every opportunity he has failed to do the right thing’. 

Another comic posted: ‘I’ll tell you what: the one who needs "help" in this situation is each and every child who was abused, assaulted and trafficked to make the indecent images he kept. THEY need rehabilitation. THEY need therapy.’

There were also concerns about him using a professional alias. One comic said: ’When sex offenders are sincerely working on changing their behaviour I would usually urge against this sort of thing [naming-and-shaming],  but immediately creating a new alias is certainly immoral. Shocking.’

However Parton insisted he had not intended to mislead people.

In a statement to Chortle, he said: ‘It's obviously been a shock to many, and I fully understand the hurt I have caused to the comedy community, my family and friends and most importantly the victims of the images I downloaded. 

‘There is no justification for what I did, but I have been working with voluntary organisations, the police and mental health professionals to address my offending behaviour and my underlying serious mental health issues.

‘I am in a very different place to where I was four years ago when I was arrested. I am under regular supervision by the police.  My mania and depression are under control, and I have not reoffended in four years.

‘Police were aware of my change of stage name, and there has never been an attempt to disguise my identity or mislead people.’

Speaking of the mother-and-baby gigs he said: ‘There was no interaction between myself or the mother, babies or toddlers. More importantly I was accompanied the whole time. Again I can only apologise to those who have been hurt by my actions.’

But fellow comic Jorden Haste said: ‘The fact he's put himself around children multiple times, even lending his PA system when he's not actually an act so he's there, shows he's not ashamed.’

Hales Corney, promoter of the Babi Comedy gigs in Cardiff, told Chortle: ‘I’m shocked and saddened by these revelations. It’s a big wake-up call and we’re going to put extra steps in place when we restart after the lockdown.’

In a blog post on his website earlier this year, Parton spoke of suicidal feelings around the time of his conviction, saying he took an overdose of paracetamol and drove to his favourite beach. He explained: ‘I was a mess. I had done a lot of stuff I’m not proud of, and put everything, and everyone I valued at risk.’

But he said he was buoyed by messages online to try to turn his life around. ‘I wasn’t "cured",’ he posted. ‘There was no overnight recovery. It too all sorts of therapy and drugs to get me back on an even keel. Part of my recovery was to change my name…. It’s not too late to change direction.’

Parton started on the comedy circuit in 1998 under his real name. According to his biography he had previously been ‘a failed radio presenter, wedding DJ, musician, social worker and brush salesman’. He took some time off the circuit to become an actor, before returning in 2015.

However the revelations about his past are certain to curtain that career. One promoter posted: ‘I’ll obviously never book him again and I can assure you that I’ll make this known to other comics and bookers.’

Description

Keir Hazlehurst, 33, used both his phone and a spy camera positioned in a way that his unwitting victims were unable to tell they were being filmed.

The videos of his victims came to light after he showed a photo of a woman on a toilet to a friend who later reported him. In total police found 43 still images taken from videos, which had been deleted, of three women with the youngest being 16 years old. They also found two images of a fourth woman which had been taken at the Celtic Manor hotel in Newport.

A sentencing hearing at Cardiff Crown Court on Thursday heard father-of-two Hazlehurst, who managed a fish and chip shop, carried out the offences in 2018.

Prosecutor David Pugh said: “The defendant showed [a friend] a video and told him it was humorous. “The video showed [a woman] on the toilet with her trousers down and showed part of her thigh. It was clear that she did not know she was being filmed. “[The friend] stopped watching the video and felt uncomfortable about it.”

Police later attended the defendant’s home address in Llanishen, Cardiff, and seized electrical equipment including his mobile phone. When the phone was seized police found images of three women who were pictured on the toilet, topless, and in a state of undress.

They also seized a Fuji camera which contained two images of a woman at the Celtic Manor hotel in a state of undress. On a laptop they found search terms relating to indecent images of children but no images were found on the device. Hazlehurst remained silent during his police interview but later pleaded guilty to two counts of voyeurism.

In a victim impact statement read out to the court one of the defendant’s victims said her life had been “changed forever”. She said: “My social life has been affected and I feel unable to leave the house and feel uncomfortable going out. I don’t want to speak to people as they might have found out about what had happened and might be talking about me.

“It makes attending the gym or any other sporting activity impossible and even at home I have to pull the blinds and shut the curtain to bathe. “This has changed my life and I no longer have the confidence to go anywhere. I want to get back to how I was before and not feel any of this pain.” Defence barrister David Pinell said his client had shown genuine remorse for his behaviour and was “visibly upset” when he heard about the impact his actions had had on his victims. He said Hazlehurst was willing to take part in rehabilitation courses and to try and understand the underlying cause of his offending.

Sentencing, the Recorder of Cardiff Judge Eleri Rees said the defendant’s actions were driven by his own sexual gratification. She added: “You can see from the victim impact statements the effect it has had on these women to discover their privacy had been violated in this gross manner. “All of them feel humiliated by the way you behaved and have the fear those images will be shared. “But I am persuaded there is real evidence of remorse, motivation, and engagement with rehabilitation in your case.”

Hazlehurst, of Fishguard Road, was sentenced to 36 weeks imprisonment suspended for two years.

 He was ordered to carry out 80 hours of the Horizon programme, made subject to 10 days’ rehabilitation activity requirement, and ordered to complete 80 hours unpaid work as well as paying £810 in court costs. The defendant was made subject to a sexual harm prevention order and will remain on the sex offenders’ register for 10 years.

Description

The women, whose families did not know about their sex work, were terrified the recordings would be shared online A successful finance worker who was earning 65,000 a year secretly filmed himself having sex with prostitutes, a court heard. Project manager Tony Richards, 39, from Cardiff, was caught after he downloaded child abuse images and the police seized his phone, laptop and hard drive. Cardiff Crown Court heard the indecent images and voyeuristic videos were found in a folder called entertainment. Jason Howells, prosecuting, said officers searched his home on Heritage Drive in Caerau on October 16 last year and seized several electronic devices. They were analysed and found to contain 10 of the most serious Category A images, two at Category B and four at Category C. Prosecutors said the images were all videos and the Category A films showed children as young as one. The officers also found voyeuristic videos of two women who seemed to be unaware they were being recorded. Mr Howells said the police traced the women who cannot be named for legal reasons and they both confirmed they had not consented to being filmed. Richards was arrested and replied to the caution: Whats voyeurism? The court heard he denied the offences, claiming both women had given him permission to film them for an extra fee. He said they appeared to be unaware because it was role play. In a victim personal statement read out in court, one of the complainants said Richards recorded her in her own home and she did not feel safe there any more. She said she no longer works in the sex industry and is now struggling to pay her rent and bills with income from her bar job. The woman said she was shocked when she was contacted by the police, as her family did not know she was a sex worker and she was terrified they would find out. She added she used to be independent, outgoing and sociable, but now feels like a different person, who no longer enjoys life. The second complainant told the police she was devastated to find out about the offending, fearing the recording would be shared online. She said she had never let anyone, not even a close partner, record her during a private act. Prosecutors said Richards had one previous conviction for assault, plus cautions for assault occasioning actual bodily harm and shoplifting. Richards, from Heritage Drive, admitted three counts of possessing indecent images of children. He denied two counts of voyeurism, but was found guilty by a jury after trial. James Evans, defending, said: His childhood was far from easy. He did not have the benefit of a good education. He left school at the age of 16 and since then has done everything he possibly could to make a decent life for himself. He is an exceptionally hard-working man. Mr Evans said his client had worked his way up to become a project manager in finance, who was earning 65,000 a year before he was arrested. The court heard his relationship ended and he will have to sell his house to pay off debts. Mr Evans said his client had not been diagnosed with depression, but was showing symptoms. Judge Tracey Lloyd-Clarke jailed him for 15 months and made a 10-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order. He must register as a sex offender for the same period. The devices will be destroyed.

Description

A paedophile ordered to sign the sex offender register after touching a girl's bottom in a shopping centre breached an order designed to protect children.

Colin Leach was made the subject of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order after approaching a child in a library, but breached it by going up to a family in Bute Park.

He asked the family if they would like to go into the dinosaur exhibition that was in the partk.

Sentencing him at Cardiff Crown Court, Judge Neil Bidder QC said: "You have got to keep away from children."

Leach was given a nine-month jail term, suspended for two years, in April 2011 for sexually assaulting a child.

Peter Donnison, prosecuting, said the nine-year-old victim was browsing at Animal in Queens Arcade in Cardiff city centre when Leach approached her from behind.

The court heard he asked her how old she was, then put one hand on her shoulder and the other on her bottom.

Prosecutors said he was ordered to sign the sex offender register, but breached his notification requirements just two months later.

Mr Donnison said he went on to approach a girl in a public library in February 2016.

The court heard he was using the computer next to her and asked: "What time do you usually come to the library?"

Prosecutors said the girl was playing a horror game and the defendant said: "If you get scared, I'll give you a cuddle."

A librarian putting books away overheard and reported the matter to the police.

The court heard Leach was not charged, but the Chief Constable applied for a Sexual Harm Prevention Order as a precautionary measure.

Prosecutors said the breach happened around 1pm on August 14 behind Cardiff Castle in Bute Park.

A woman was in the park with her sister and their children, having just finished their picnic lunch near the dinosaur exhibition.

Mr Donnison said: "The defendant approached them and asked if they would like to see the dinosaurs."

The court heard the woman allowed her children to go in, but became "uneasy" as she realised he may not be part of the exhibition team.

She spoke to security and they advised her to call the police, who attended and spoke to the defendant.

Leach, 35, from Aberporth Road in Cardiff, admitted breaching a Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

Description

A WELL-RESPECTED former football coach who impressed Tony Blair with his fund-raising work has been jailed for 10 months after exposing himself to young girls at a swimming baths.

Mohammed Tahir, a married father-of-two, was living at Adventurers Quay in Cardiff Bay when he climbed into a shower with a 15-year-old girl at the city’s international sports complex in January, this year.

Three days later, he was back there. This time he exposed himself and committed a sex act in front of shocked young teenagers, Cardiff Crown Court heard.

A liaison officer for the Oldham Sunday League and involved with coaching at Oldham Athletic, Tahir was once invited to meet Tony Blair to celebrate his fund-raising work. He was also nominated for a Pride in Oldham Award.

Tahir, who had been due to start work in May as a customer services representative with Conduit UK, was said to have put that job on hold while he pleaded guilty to charges of indecent exposure and outraging public decency. The court was told that Tahir already had a conviction for indecently assaulting a female as long ago as 1988 and for gross indecency in Manchester eight years ago.

He appeared before magistrates in Bury in April, 2004, for what was said to be a strikingly similar offence to the one in Cardiff.

On that occasion, Tahir wedged open the doors of a ladies’ changing room and opened his towel when two 13-year-old girls appeared. Tahir also has a string of convictions for fraud and theft.

David Leathley, defending, accepted Tahir — whose wife is standing by him — was a sexual deviant who displayed an addictive pattern of exposure to females.

He added: “I have referred to him to his face as a pervert and he knows how society feels.”

Jailing Tahir for 10 months and putting him on the sex offenders’ register, the Recorder of Cardiff, Nicholas Cooke QC, said he had been assessed as being a potential high risk to females.

In a Sexual Offenders’ Prevention Order, Tahir was also banned from going to any play area or changing rooms at any leisure facility.

Description

A multimillionaire property investor who indecently assaulted a 16-year-old girl has been jailed for a year.John Currell, 43, was found guilty at Cardiff Crown Court on Thursday, and was ordered to register as a sex offender for 10 years.

The court was told he had given the girl a lift home, touched her and encouraged her to take her top off.

Currell, from Lisvane in Cardiff, who is married with two children, is said to be worth £16m.

Sentencing, judge Mark Furness told Currell he had known "full well" the teenager did not want him to be in her house.

"You endeavoured to create a sexual liaison with her and invited her to take her clothes off," he said.

'Little secret'

Prosecuting, Nicholas Gareth-Jones said: "He [Currell] invited her on a number of occasions to take her top off - the girl refused.

"Eventually he touched her breasts, stomach and back in a way that was deliberate and indecent."

The court heard Currell had stayed with the girl until 5.30 in the morning, and later called her to say that the incident should be "their little secret."

Speaking from the dock, Currell made a full apology to the girl, saying he would "like to say sorry for upsetting her".

Morgan Jenkins, defending, said Currell's reputation "had suffered terribly" as a result of the case.

"He is worried about the impact custody will have on his family and business acquaintances," he said.

Description

A retired community policeman has been jailed for 12 years for a string of sex attacks on a schoolgirl. Pc Kevin Williams, 50, from Taffs Well, near Cardiff, visited schools as part of his job.

But a court heard it was only after he retired that other officers in South Wales Police discovered he had carried out a seven-year reign of abuse.

He raped and forced a 15-year-old girl to dress up for pornographic pictures, warning her not to tell anyone.

Cardiff Crown Court heard that he told the girl : "Who would believe you? I am the police."

"Apart from being a disgraceful abuser you clearly are a paedophile" Judge Jonathan Durham Hall.

His victim, now aged 30, told the court how Williams made her dress up for lurid photographs.

She came forward to give evidence years later, after receiving counselling.

Williams, who retired after 16 years with South Wales Police in 2001, was convicted of indecent assault, rape, a serious sexual assault, and making indecent photos.

The court heard he was a keen photographer and took pictures of naked models.

Pictures he had taken were discovered in Williams' car by mechanics when he took it to be serviced.

More pictures - of a half-naked woman - were discovered hidden under the carpet by a couple who bought a house from him.

He had converted the garage of the house into a darkroom to process his own photographs.

'Systematic abuse'

When questioned, Williams admitted he took nude photos of women, but explained: "I don't find anything wrong as long as they are old enough and willing."

Judge Jonathan Durham Hall QC told him: "You were, on the face of it, an outstanding police officer, but little did the public know that you were systematically abusing this girl.

"These charges were bad examples of your disgusting and utterly vile conduct. Apart from being a disgraceful abuser you clearly are a paedophile.

"You threatened your victim by saying nobody would believe her and, to cap it all you said "Who can you complain to? I am the police?"

Jailing Williams for 12 years, the judge ordered him to register as a sex offender and banned him from working with children.