Latest Offenders Carmarthen

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A MAN who recorded himself raping a sleeping woman has been sentenced to ten years in prison. Cameron Hassan changed his plea to guilty on the second day of his trial after the jury had watched the horrific footage. Hassan recorded his victims private parts before recording himself anally raping her, coupled with a running commentary of insults and foul language. The rape, which took place in Ammanford on August 21, 2021, had been recorded on his victims phone. The court heard that in police interview after his arrest Hassan claimed that the sex had been part of a role play and that his victim wasnt sleeping at the time. However, Hassan, 32, of no fixed abode, changed his plea before his victim had to take to the witness stand last May. His Honour Judge Geraint Walters heard that Hassan had a lengthy antecedent history and had appeared in court 39 times in relation to 92 criminal offences. Although none of these involved sexual offences some of the charges had involved violence and threats of violence towards women. In a victim impact statement read out to the court Hassans victim said that she had difficulty sleeping, waking up in the night sweating and having disturbing dreams. She was depressed and had been prescribed medication for this. The attack had caused massive trust issues and she had become distant from friends. She didnt want to see anybody and didnt trust people. She was worried about the effect of the attack on future relationships and had difficulty with intimacy, feeling uneasy if somebody tried to hug her. She added that the trial had caused her months of distress. I wish that he had pleaded guilty from the start, she said. I have had ten months of hell worried that I would have to talk about what happened in a court full of people. I have been physically unwell with worry. In mitigation the court heard that Hassan had expressed remorse for what he had done and was disgusted about his behaviour and the hurt that was caused. The court also heard that Hassan had indicated that he would engage with the support available in prison. At the moment at least you have no respect for women, said judge Walters. It is hard to imagine an act of greater degradation to a woman than that which I both saw and heard on that film. Hassan was sentenced to ten years in prison for the rape offence at Swansea Crown Court on, Thursday, June 23. The court heard that he will serve three quarters of his sentence. He was also sentenced to three months in prison, to run concurrently, for the offence of sending a threatening message. The court heard that he had pleaded guilty at the earliest opportunity to this offence, which involved a different victim. Senior Investigating Officer DI Melanie Havard said the victim had shown great strength and determination throughout the investigation and trial. I must commend her tremendous courage in coming forward and the tenacity shown throughout the investigation, she said. We appreciate this is not easy for anyone to do but the victim has expressed her gratitude to the officer in the case for her support and empathy throughout this process. We hope this case demonstrates that Dyfed-Powys Police acts on serious allegations such as rape and sexual assault with officers working tirelessly to secure justice for victims. If you are suffering because of similar abuse, please contact the police, or if you would rather speak to someone in confidence, New Pathways are an independent charity that will support you through every step of the investigation.

Description

James Thomas was convicted of 21 counts of rape of a girl under 13, sexual assault, and inciting a child to engage in sexual activity. A man who spent years sexually abused two young vulnerable girls has been made the subject of an extended sentence as a dangerous offender. James Thomas carried out a prolonged "campaign of rape" against one young girl and sexually assaulted another over a six-year period. The abuse started when one of the victims was aged just five. Thomas, aged 42, denied a total of 21 offences including oral, anal, and vaginal rape but was convicted following a trial at Swansea Crown Court. The court heard victim statements from the two young girls he abused in which they detailed the psychological impact the sexual offending has had on their lives including feeling scared around men, feeling isolated, suffering with nightmares and flashbacks, and resorting to self-harming to mask the emotional pain. As victims of sexual offences the females have lifelong legal anonymity. James Thomas, of Mansel Street, Carmarthen, had previously been convicted of nine counts of rape of a child under 13, two of inciting a child under 13 to engage in sexual activity, and 10 of sexual assault of a child under 13 at trial in March when he returned to the dock for sentencing on Monday. He has no previous convictions. Ian Ibrahim, for Thomas, said the dad-of-two faced a sentence that would change his life forever. He said the defendant had always worked hard, mainly in the car industry, to provide for his family and in recent years had experienced the deaths of both parents. Judge Catherine Richards told Thomas he had targeted and manipulated two young and vulnerable girls and subjected one to what could properly be called a "campaign of rape". She said having heard all the evidence in the case and having read a pre-sentence report on the defendant she was satisfied that he posed a significant risk of committing further sexual offences against young girls and that an extended sentence was necessary to protect the public. Thomas was given a 24-year extended sentence comprising 22 years in custody followed by a two-year licence period. 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 returned to the community. He will be a registered sex offender for the rest of his life. Speaking after the sentencing Mandy Tobias, district crown prosecutor with the Crown Prosecution Service, said: "Rape is a harrowing crime that has a devastating effect on the victim. Thomas repeatedly abused two children to satisfy his own desires and now he will answer for his crimes thanks to the courage the children have shown in speaking out."

Description

Osian Winters - now known as Mark Williams - has a long history of sexual offending which includes pleasuring himself while looking at mannequins in a shop window. A sex offender with a mannequin fetish openly masturbated on a train in front of passengers including a young schoolgirl. The child was so disgusted by what was happening she took a photo on her phone of the man and then alerted the guard. Mark Williams - who has changed his name from Osian Winters since his last conviction - later claimed he had in fact been performing the sex act on a sex toy which he had found in a pub. The defendant was found in possession of such an item but the court heard "the colour and shape" of it did not match what was shown in the snap taken by the girl. Williams a long history of sexual offences involving children, and of committing sex acts in public - including masturbating while looking at mannequins in shop windows - and he has repeatedly breached court orders designed to try to curb his deviant behaviour. The 28-year-old claims he is addicted to masturbating. Swansea Crown Court heard the defendant's most recent offending happened on a train between Carmarthen and Whitland in December last year. Jim Davis, prosecuting, said the defendant was seen "masturbating in clear view of everybody in the carriage", including a young girl who was sat nearby. He said the youngster was able to take a photograph of the incident and when the train arrived in Whitland and Williams got off, she reported the matter to the train manager. Police were contacted, and though Williams was wearing a Covid face mask and a baseball cap he was recognised on CCTV footage by a police officer who knows him. The court heard the girl who who reported the incident later told police she had been "disgusted" by what she had witnessed. The prosecutor said the defendant was arrested on December 21 and in his subsequent interview denied the offence, telling officers "he had been masturbating a dildo he found in a public house". Mr Davis said Williams was found to own such an item but it was "different in colour and shape" from what was captured in the photograph taken on the train. Mark Williams, of Lammas Steet, Carmarthen, had previously pleaded guilty to outraging public decency when he appeared in the dock for sentencing. He has 13 previous convictions for 26 offences, some 15 of which are of a sexual nature. In 2016 he was made the subject of sexual harm prevention order after being convicted of six counts of causing or inciting a girl under 16 to engage in sexual activity and two counts of possessing indecent images. These offences related to extensive and sexually explicit online Skype chats he had with a 15-year-old girl. In September 2018 he was given a community order after being caught on CCTV pleasuring himself while looking at mannequins in the window of Topshop in Carmarthen town centre. On that occasion the judge told the defendant he should aim to establish an appropriate adult relationship with a partner rather than "walking around the centre of town in the dead of night being excited by mannequins".

Description

A man carried out sexual acts with a schoolgirl and made her sent him indecent images of herself.

Christopher John Austin appeared at Swansea Crown Court for sentencing for six counts of sexual activity with a girl under the age of 16, another count of sexual communication with a child, and two counts of possessing indecent photographs of a child.

The court heard how the 37-year-old had conversations with his victim which he sexualised, discussing pornography and telling her he was "horny a lot".

On one occasion he hugged her and kissed her, sticking his tongue into her mouth. He also told her to send him indecent images, which she did. At Austin's instruction they performed sex acts on each other and he also had intercourse with her.

The court heard his victim had to go into a pharmacy to obtain the morning after pill. She made a disclosure to a member of staff at her school. She then went to the police station with her mother to report what happened.

The court was told how the police investigation discovered internet searches made by Austin for pornography, 'real rape videos', 'real incest videos', 'son gets mom pregnant', and 'real rape sex'.

There were two Category A indecent images of his victim, the most serious, as well as three Category A videos, and eight Category C images.

The court heard how he initially tried to claim that he suffered from blackouts when questioned by police and he also claimed that he had been hacked by a third party.

A victim impact statement was read out on behalf of his victim which heard she "replays moments in her head" and goes "day to day with a strong feeling of regret". She also described how her mental health has deteriorated since, suffering with panic attacks, low moods and anxiety, and that she struggled to concentrate on her school work and lessons as a consequence.

Austin,of Teglan Park in Ammanford, was jailed for five years.

Following the sentencing Dyfed-Powys Police detective sergeant Carl Pocock said:

"This man has been convicted and sentenced for serious sexual offences and it is very difficult to summarise the impact of his crimes upon his victim.

“I wish to thank the victim in this case for their courage in coming forward which has led to the conviction of a dangerous offender and I hope from the sentence they will be able to move on with their life.”

Description

A pervert from Llandovery has appeared for sentence at Swansea Crown Court after admitting to making and distributing indecent images of children.
Rhys Long, of Cynghordy, Llandovery, had previously indicated a guilty plea.

The 19-year-old admitted making almost 200 images with 40 of them falling into Category A the most extreme category showing the rape or torture of young children
25 extreme pornographic images depicting bestiality were also found.

Long also admitted distributing the above images to other like minded perverts online.

Allegations of child grooming were also made by several young victims. However, no charges were made.

Long was not jailed but instead received a suspended sentence.

A sexual harm prevention order was put in place and he was told to register as a sex offender immediately.

2022 Update

Rhys Long, 22, of Cynghordy, Llandovery, is due to by sentenced by Swansea Crown Court next month for breaching a sexual harm prevention order.

Long was made subject to a sexual harm prevention order on May 21, 2021, and appeared at Llanelli Magistrates Court on August 25 where he pleaded guilty to breaching the order.

The breach occurred on May 11 this year when he failed to inform police officers that he had created a username on Discord and had an unregistered email address.

He will be sentenced by Swansea Crown Court who made the initial order on 8 September 2022.

Description

Michael Powell also downloaded so-called "paedophile manuals" from the web containing illustrated guides on how obtain, hide, and sexually abuse young children

A former worker at a Welsh college has been revealed as a "committed paedophile" who downloaded sickening images of children and babies being sexually abused.

Some of the youngsters being sexually tortured for Michael Ian Powell's perverted pleasure were as young as just one month old, a court heard.

Former Llandovery College staff member Powell also downloaded so-called "paedophile manuals" from the dark web containing instructions on how to sexually abuse children.

Swansea Crown Court heard 59-year-old Powell was arrested after police raided his home shortly before 8am on October 24 last year.

Sophie Hill, prosecuting, said officers seized a number of electronic devices, and on them found almost 3,500 indecent pictures of videos of children from categories A - the most extreme kind - B and C.

Police also found Powell had downloaded so-called "paedophile manuals" from the internet - one was a guide on how to "obtain and hide a little girl for the purposes of exploitation", and one was an illustrated guide on how to sexually abuse girls aged between three and six.

Further examination of the devices found Powell had also taken part in sick online group chats, and shared an image of a child being abused with other paedophiles.

The prosecutor said the defendant, who has two grown-up children, made "full and frank admissions" to officers about what he had been doing.

Powell, of High Street, Llandovery, Carmarthenshire, had previously pleaded guilty to three counts of possessing indecent images of children, one of distributing an indecent category A image, and one of possessing a paedophile manual, a relatively new offence created under the Serious Crime Act 2015.

He has no previous convictions.

Tom Scapens, for Powell, said unlike many other offenders who came before the courts for similar offending, Powell had been "refreshingly honest" in interviews with police and probation officers about gaining sexual gratification from viewing the indecent images, and the need to get help.

He said the defendant had been working in the alumni department of Llandovery College until his arrest, though had now lost that employment.

The barrister added that though Powell had been divorced from his wife for many years she had attended court - though not come into the courtroom itself - to support her former husband in a "personal capacity" in what he described as a demonstration of "remarkable generosity of spirit".

Judge Geraint Walters described the images Powell had downloaded as "unspeakably appalling", and said they were "amongst the most disturbing I have personally had to deal with".

He said: "How a father of two children can possibly not see the damage which looking at images like these causes children is something I find hard to fathom.

"You were committed to viewing for sexual pleasure other people's children being gravely sexually abused.

"You can properly be described as a committed paedophile. The reality is you are going to have to battle that condition for the rest of your life."

Giving the defendant the required one-third discount for his guilty pleas the judge sentenced him to a total of two years in prison. Powell will serve up to a half of that period in custody before being released on licence to serve the remainder in the community.

The defendant 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 to control his access to the internet.