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Convicted sex offender jailed for hiding phones and using Snapchat

Ryan Watkins, a convicted sex offender, has been sentenced to 27 months in prison after repeatedly breaching his sexual harm prevention order by using undeclared mobile phones and apps including Snapchat.

Watkins, 34, of High Street, Blaina, was convicted in June 2017 of attempting to incite a child to engage in sexual activity. He received 20 months’ imprisonment and a 10-year sexual harm prevention order.

On 28 May, police carried out an unannounced visit to his home. Watkins handed over a Samsung Galaxy phone and claimed he had no other devices. Officers noticed a Google Play Store tab open on the WhatsApp page (the app was not installed). He admitted deleting it, in breach of the order. The phone was seized.

When asked how best to contact him, Watkins revealed a second Samsung Galaxy that had not been registered with police and had Snapchat installed. That phone was also seized.

Police returned on 9 June. Watkins said he had no internet-enabled devices. Officers searched the property and he admitted having a phone hidden behind a wardrobe. It contained Snapchat on an account police had not been told about, and Watkins had posted a story just 11 hours earlier. He was arrested.

Watkins pleaded guilty to five breaches of the sexual harm prevention order. Prosecutor Sarah Grace noted there was no evidence he had used the devices to contact children or vulnerable people.

He had four previous convictions for nine offences, including failing to comply with sex offender notification requirements, and was already subject to a suspended sentence imposed in April the previous year for an earlier breach of the same order.

Defending, Gareth Williams said:

“The defendant is realistic. Ultimately he had to register it with the police and he didn’t.” No illegal material was found on the devices. Williams described the breaches as “unsophisticated”, adding: “If you didn’t want them to find something, you could find somewhere better than behind the cupboard. And you wouldn’t take them to it.”

Judge Shomon Khan remarked:

“It doesn’t make any sense. If he’s using it for legitimate purposes, just register it.” Sentencing Watkins, he said: “You have to accept this order is in place. The whole purpose of the order was to monitor the way in which you used internet-enabled devices and the way you operate online. You repeatedly breached that order.”

The 27-month total includes the activation of six months of the suspended sentence.

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A man who raped a teenage girl he had been messaging has been sentenced to 10 years with an extended licence period of six years.

Jay Jenkins-Lang, 23, denied his crimes but was convicted of four offences: rape, possession of a firearm, actual bodily harm and perverting the course of justice.

On Wednesday 28 June 2023, the then 20-year-old went to the home address of his 17-year-old victim after absconding from Newport Magistrate’s Court.

Jenkins-Lang attempted to initiated sexual contact with the victim while in her bedroom. He was told no but forced himself on her.

Following the attack, the victim managed to get away to a neighbour where the police were called.

On his arrest, he was found wearing a stab vest and carrying a BB gun and knife.

During a trial in September 2024, the defendant presented a letter to his barrister claiming to have received it from the victim while remanded in custody. In the letter, the victim purportedly apologised and cleared him of the offence. The trial was adjourned to investigate further.

Forensics, handwriting samples and expert witnesses showed that the victim was not involved in the letter and led to Jenkins-Lang and 21-year-old man being charged with perverting the course of justice.  The 21-year-old man was found not guilty during the trial.

Jay Jenkins-Lang was found guilty of all four offences at Cardiff Crown Court on Wednesday 25 February. He was sentenced to 10 years with an extended licence period of six years.

Police Staff Investigator, Victoria Hopkins, the officer in charge said:

“Jay Jenkins-Lang is a dangerous individual who carried out hideous offences against a teenage girl.

“In his final act of cowardice, he tried to jeopardise the trial and evade judgement by perverting the course of justice.

“In complete contrast, the victim has shown incredible strength, perseverance and courage throughout the entire process. Without her we would not have been able to bring Jenkins-Lang before the courts and ensure that this vile man is put behind bars.

“The effects of being a victim of sexual assault can be longstanding; however, I hope this outcome brings some sense of justice and closure for her.“

Record details

A paedophile groomed a 10-year-old girl he met on TikTok before sending her a picture of his penis, a court has heard.

An investigation into that matter led police to finding Thomas Winterson had hundreds of videos of child sexual abuse which he had shared with a like-minded individual, and had visited Russian websites known for hosting indecent images.

Newport Crown Court heard the 34-year-old defendant has a previous conviction for possessing indecent images for which he was given a community order. The bakery worker's barrister told the court Winterson had voluntarily sought help from a charity which works with sex offenders and was motivated to change.

The court heard that Winterson's behaviour came to light after he contacted a 10-year-old girl in the north of England on the video-sharing app TikTok. Pretending to be a 15-year-old boy, the defendant told the child she was pretty and asked if they could chat on Snapchat, offering her money for the popular online game platform Roblox.

The court heard that once on Snapchat Winterson asked the girl for pictures - the girl sent him some photos of herself and he responded by sending her pictures of his erect penis. The girl called Winterson a "paedophile" and told her mother who in turn reported the matter to police.

The court heard that the defendant was identified via the phone number linked to his TikTok account and officers subsequently attended at his house to arrest him and seize his electronic devices.

An examination of Winterson's phone and his online Mega storage account uncovered more than 800 indecent images - the vast majority being videos - including 220 classified as Category A which show the most extreme forms of sexual abuse and rape. The children in the images were aged from around 12 months up to teenagers, and most of the images were in a hidden folder on the iPhone. An image involving "intercourse with a sheep" was also found.

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A PAEDOPHILE caught with indecent images was a foster carer and worked with children, it has emerged.

Steven Breslin-Green was a registered foster carer and was “involved in a number of settings with children and young people in Newport”, the city council confirmed.

The 40-year-old from Abertillery was warned earlier this month he could be facing a prison sentence after admitted having nearly 200 child abuse images on his laptop.

Newport council said he has not worked “in any capacity” for the authority since it became aware of the allegations against him last year.

A spokesperson stated: “While he has never been directly employed by the council, he has worked in a number of settings with children and young people in the city including local authority settings.

“Breslin-Green would have been under supervision at all times in these settings and would not have carried out personal care without another person present.

“He was approved as a local authority foster carer in the summer of 2023 following thorough background checks.

“This was terminated in the summer of 2024 when the council was made aware of these allegations.”

None of the offences he has been convicted of relate to any children he cared for, the authority said.

“The charges he faced related to downloading images of children and do no relate to any child that he cared for or any local children,” the spokesperson added.

“However, that does not lessen the seriousness of such crimes as the young people in such images, wherever they live, are innocent victims and this behaviour cannot be tolerated.

“We, of course, share and understand the concerns of parents.

“The council, his employers and the settings where he worked were prevented from making public statements or discussing the case while legal proceedings were ongoing.

“However, direct enquiries from individuals have been addressed and they have been signposted to appropriate support if required.”

Breslin-Green pleaded guilty to three offences of making indecent images of children.

The defendant had 40 category A images, the most serious kind, 64 category B images and 91 category C images.

His offences were committed between April 22 and May 21 last year, Cardiff Crown Court was told.

Breslin-Green will now have to register as a sex offender.

When the defendant admitted the offences at the start of February, his barrister Gareth Williams said: “The defendant is a man of previous good character with no previous convictions and I would ask for a pre-sentence report.”

Judge Hywel James told Breslin-Green: “I’m adjourning for reports today but all options remain open in terms of sentence and that can include custody.

“I note you've got no previous convictions and on that basis I'm in agreement that a pre-sentence report needs to be prepared.

“That's to assist in terms of the court knowing more about you and in how to deal with the matter.”

Sentence will take place on March 6 and the defendant was granted conditional bail.

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An Ebbw Vale man has been sentenced to life imprisonment after he was found guilty of more than 10 sexual offences against children.

Colin Morris, 48, pled guilty to all offences, including three counts of rape of a child under 13, two counts of attempt rape, one count of inciting a child to engage in sexual activity, six counts of making indecent images of children and three counts of distributing indecent images of children.

He was today (Monday 23 December) sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 21 years at Newport Crown Court.

This proactive investigation was launched by our cybercrime team in April when we received intelligence that Morris had accessed indecent images of children online.

We then conducted a warrant at his property in Ebbw Vale and seized digital devices. Examination of these devices led us to identify further offences, including the rape of two children.

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A “DANGEROUS predator” recorded himself as he sexually assaulted a woman in her own bedroom.

Anurag Sharma, 21, from Abertillery, was found guilty of rape, assault by penetration and sexual assault of his victim by a jury following a trial.

After he attacked her, the defendant fled to France in the back of a lorry when he was on bail.

He was arrested at Dover when he tried to return to the UK undetected, Cardiff Crown Court was told.

In a moving victim impact statement, the woman said that Sharma was a “dangerous predator” and described her ordeal as “horrific”.

She told him: “You no longer have power over me and I'm not your victim. I have survived.”

The offences happened last summer.

Matthew Cobbe, prosecuting, said: “The victim was vulnerable and there was a degree of planning on the defendant’s part to achieve his offending.”

Dale Beeson representing Sharma asked the judge to show his client “mercy”.

His barrister said the defendant had arrived to live in the UK from India and was the son of a heart surgeon.

“This is a young man who has no previous offences and he comes from a good family background and had a good education,” Mr Beeson stated.

“He had been dating a girl for quite some time. He was very much in love with her and thought his future was going to be with her.

“Unfortunately, that lady moved to Canada for her education.”

Mr Beeson added: “Mr Sharma has ruined his life. He’s relatively resigned to that fact that he's lost his good character.

“He's going to lose his liberty, he’s lost the respect of his family and brought great shame upon them.

“His actions have brought the whole deck of cards tumbling to the ground.

“He knows that deportation will follow.”

The judge, Recorder Paul Hartley-Davies, told Sharma: “You knew she was intoxicated.

"I'm also concerned to read that you're assessed as posing a high risk of harm to the public."

He jailed the defendant for nine years and told him he would serve two-thirds of that sentence in custody before being released on licence.

Sharma will have to register as a sex offender for life

After the defendant was taken to the cells, Recorder Hartley-Davies commended the woman for her courage.

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A MAN was caught with vile videos of young girls being raped just weeks after he was given a suspended prison sentence for assaulting an ex-girlfriend.

Paedophile Lee Griffiths, 38, from Blaina was jailed after Newport Crown Court heard he had watched child abuse films on a cracked iPad.

The victims were aged between eight and 12 and he had sent a message to a contact online that he wanted “dirtier” material.

The defendant had also told that person: “Jail time would be worth it”.

Speaking about one of the movies, prosecutor Christopher Evans said: “There was pain visible on the face of one girl.”

Griffiths pleaded guilty to three counts of possession of indecent images of children.

He had five category A images – the most serious kind – and these included three videos and two photographs.

There were three category B images, one video and two photographs, and two category C images with both being films.

Griffiths also admitted being in breach of a suspended jail sentence by committing the offences.

The defendant had been handed a prison sentence of eight weeks, suspended for two years, in March 2022 after he was convicted of the battery of an ex-partner.

He had no previous convictions for any sex offences.

Paul Hewitt representing Griffiths said: “There is no evidence of him search for the images – he was sent them.

“The defendant can work with probation on a sex offender programme.

“He is someone who can be rehabilitated.”

Judge Carl Harrison told Griffiths: “You had images of children being raped and you are also in breach of a suspended sentence.

“Only a custodial sentence can be justified.”

He sent him to prison for 58 weeks.

The defendant will have to register as a sex offender for the next 10 years and was made the subject of a sexual harm prevention order until 2034.

Griffiths will have to pay a £156 victim surcharge following his release.

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A paedophile was caught with hundreds of pictures and films of children being abused including videos of boys being brutally sexually tortured and beaten, a court has heard. The discovery was made after members of the public raised concerns about Richard Hill acting "strangely" in popular parkland.

Sending 37-year-old Hill to prison, the judge said some of the films found on his phone showed the "prolonged sexual torture of little boys" and said it was because of people like him that there was a trade in making and distributing such material.

Gareth James, prosecuting, told Cardiff Crown Court that on September 11 last year members of the public approached police officers in Abergavenny town centre and reported concerns about a male "acting strangely" in Castle Meadows. Officers went to the area and found Hill laying face down on a towel. When he was roused, the intoxicated defendant gave his name as Rick Hill and a check of police records showed he was a registered sex offender having previously been convicted at Hereford Crown Court.

The court heard that because of his record police seized his phone and checked it, and though they initially found no indecent images they did find concerning conversations on WhatsApp about underage sex. Hill explained the messages were "fantasy". However a subsequent forensic examination of the device found a total of 759 indecent pictures and videos of child abuse including 263 deemed Category A which show the most extreme kinds of sexual abuse such as rape.

The court heard details of one video of more than 12 minutes in length that showed a young boy in a "dirty outhouse" being bound with rope and stamped on while being sexually abused before he was waterboarded and urinated on. The man carrying out the abuse then gives the camera a thumbs up sign.

The full details of the video are too upsetting to be reported. The court heard the very experienced police forensic examiner who located and viewed the video on Hill's phone found its contents "very distressing", and dealing with the evidence in the case has had a "profound effect" on him.

Also on the defendant's phone were another 864 "indicative" images where it was not clear if the subjects were under the age of 18 along with a dozen prohibited images including very realistic computer generated images.

Richard Hill, of Willow Court, Abergavenny, had previously pleaded guilty to three counts of possession of indecent images of categories A, B and C and one count of possession of prohibited images when he appeared in the dock for sentencing. He has five previous convictions for seven offences including making and distributing indecent images from Hereford Crown Court in 2018, offending for which he was given a 16-month sentence and was made the subject of a sexual offences prevention order and was put on the sex offenders register for 10 years.

Ben Waters, for Hill, said the defendant was "appalled at his behaviour" and knows the court and the community will find it abhorrent. He said his client was a "young man dealing with issues from his past" and a pre-sentence report had identified that he wished to "amend the deficiencies in himself". The barrister invited the court to pass a suspended sentence that would allow work to be done to address the issues - he said such a sentence would not just be in the best interests of the defendant but also of the community.

Judge Tracey Lloyd-Clarke said some of the images found on Hill's phone showed "prolonged sexual torture of little boys", and she said the defendant had watched the brutal torture for his own sexual gratification. She said it was because of people like Hill that there was a trade in making and distributing such material.

With a one-third discount for his guilty pleas, Hill was sentenced to two years and four 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. The defendant was made the subject of a sexual harm prevention order for the next 10 years, and will be a registered sex offender for the same period of time. Judge Lloyd-Clarke said even if the sentence had been one that was capable of being suspended - that is a sentence of two years or less - the offending was so serious she would not have suspended it.

Record details

A PAEDOPHILE “bullied” young girls between the ages of nine and 14 into performing sex acts on themselves online which he filmed.

Joel Gillard, 30, from Ebbw Vale used social media platforms like Instagram to abuse six schoolgirls across the UK including two from York.

The defendant “groomed” his victims when he was drinking heavily and taking cocaine while he was living in a van on the side of a mountain.

Gillard posed as a 15-year-old boy called Josh and would dare the girls to perform more and more explicit acts as if it were a game.

Some of them were blackmailed if they didn't do as they were told.

A judge told the “intelligent” cyber security consultant he’d had “no limits” as she jailed him for nearly 10 years.

She said he had been sexually aroused by the power he’d wielded over the vulnerable underage schoolgirls.

When the police went to talk to the nine-year-old victim she was playing with toys and colouring in pictures.

Detectives had to bring their conversation with her to an abrupt halt after they began to speak about Gillard because she started “crying hysterically”.

Gareth James, prosecuting, told Cardiff Crown Court the parents of two girls in North Yorkshire made complaints to the police before Gillard was traced to Gwent.

He said: “Officers discovered screen recordings that showed that the defendant used social media accounts to engage with young girls.

“He was pretending to be a teenage boy and was having sexualised conversations with young girls.

“Those conversations involved the defendant coercing them to perform sexual acts upon themselves that included penetrative sexual activity.”

Mr James added: “Grooming behaviour was used against the victims.

“These offences involved a significant degree of planning and sexual images are recorded and retained and in each case there is a significant disparity in age.”

Gillard admitted six counts of causing or inciting an underage girl to engage in sexual activity and one each of causing a child to watch a sexual act and sexual communication with a child.

He also pleaded guilty to three charges of making an indecent image of a child.

Gillard had 313 category A images, the most serious kind, 88 category B images and 101 category C images.

The defendant also accepted possession of eight extreme pornographic images of bestiality.

He had no previous convictions.

Jeffrey Jones representing Gillard said: “The defendant feels disgusted with himself.

“He empathises with the victims and their families.”

Gillard is on the autism spectrum and “has problems making friends”.

Mr Jones added: “He has supportive parents who are here in court today.

“They scratch their heads. They are despondent.”

Judge Lucy Crowther told Gillard: “You had no limits.

“You recognised what you were doing was entirely wrong and you persisted.”

The defendant was handed an extended prison sentence of nine years and eight months.

Gillard will have to serve at least two-thirds of a custodial term of six years and eight months before being eligible for parole.

Once released he will be subject to a licence period of three years.

The defendant must register as a sex offender indefinitely and was made the subject of a sexual harm prevention order for 25 years.

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A teenager launched a series of terrifying attacks on women. Joshua Lovering from Cwmbran told one of his three victims: "We're going to have sex if you want it or not."

Cardiff Crown Court heard that Joshua Lovering was 19 when he targeted an 18-year-old woman after she had drunk five to six pints of cider in Pontypool park. He made arrangements to spend the night with her at the Gateway Hotel in Newport. Prosecutor Ruth Smith said that when Lovering went to the shops, he asked if he should buy condoms, but the victim replied: "No." When he returned, Lovering became "rough and physical" and pushed the victim onto the bed and tried to put his hand up her top.

When the victim told him to stop, Lovering became annoyed and put his hand to her mouth and a pillow over her face. She screamed for help and managed to run away, but he put his hand under her top again and snapped her bra. She tried to leave the room but he stood in front of her, grabbing her.

Lovering produced a knife and held it to the victim's chin, warning: "If you don't [stop] f****** screaming I am going to use it. We're going to have sex if you want it or not." The victim told Lovering she wanted to have a cigarette, so he allowed her to go outside but continually texted her. She managed to run to a nearby petrol station and the police were called. Lovering was arrested and told police he had a knife because he was "fascinating with sharp things".

In her personal statement this victim said: "The incident has hurt me and betrayed me. He did an awful thing to me. How can I trust people the same way I did before the incident?"

In a second attack Lovering entered a woman's home without permission and pushed her onto her sofa. He then tried to pull her leggings off but the victim was able to bite him, scratch his face and kick him. The defendant penetrated her with his thumb through her leggings.

The victim struggled with the defendant and made a call via the phone app Siri to get help. He managed to rip the phone from her and tried to rip her clothes off, causing her to fall over and suffer bruises. It was only when the victim managed to pick up a glass jar and threaten Lovering with it that he left.

Lovering attacked a third woman at a Travelodge hotel in Cardiff city centre. The court heard he locked the "extremely vulnerable" woman in a hotel room and demanded she had sex with him. He used his strength to take her phone and threatened her with a knife in a 20-minute ordeal which left her crying and shaking with fear.

In her statement this victim said: "Since this incident happened I have been panicky and stressed. When he held a knife up to me and locked me in the room I honestly thought he was going to put the knife through me and seriously hurt me, I was scared for my life.

"He was much bigger and stronger than me. He stood in front of the hotel room door for five minutes but it felt like forever. I was scared to call out for help in case he suddenly used the knife on me."

The victim said she has been suffering nightmares and on one occasion punched a wall while dreaming that she was fighting the defendant off. She added: "He's a dangerous person and a danger to women. I have never been so scared of anybody in my life as Joshua."

Lovering, now 20, pleaded guilty to assault by penetration, affray, sexual assault, and threatening a person with a knife in a private place. The defendant, of HMP Parc in Bridgend, has previous convictions including sexual assault and possession of a knife in a public place. His latest offences put him in breach of a suspended sentence order.

In mitigation, defence barrister Jefffey Jones said his client was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and has low social skills. He conceded the defendant faced "serious matters" but he feels remorse and is "clearly a vulnerable person."

Judge Tracey Lloyd-Clarke took into account Lovering's disorder and his youth but said she was satisfied he was a dangerous offender and posed a risk of serious harm. She imposed an extended sentence of 12 years in custody and an extended licence period of four years. He must serve at least two thirds of the custodial period before he can be considered for release. The judge also imposed restraining orders to protect the three victims and a 16-year sexual harm prevention order.

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A paedophile sent pornographic images to who be believed to be a 13-year-old girl and said he wanted to meet up with her. He was in fact speaking to an undercover police officer.

Mark Appleby, 53, of Monmouth, made contact with a profile named "Maisie" on the Kik messenger service in November 2022. The decoy told the defendant she was 13-years-old but he continued chatting to her.

A sentencing hearing at Cardiff Crown Court on Tuesday heard Appleby sent sexually explicit images to Maisie and told her he wanted to have oral sex with her. Prosecutor Paul Hewitt said the decoy told the defendant she lived in Southampton, and he told her he would come down to watch her play football and go shopping.

He went on to ask Maisie about her privates and wanted to spend the night with her in a hotel. The defendant also told her he would bring a sex toy, and spoke to her on the phone, which involved an undercover officer pretending to be a 13-year-old.

A number of dates were arranged for Appleby and Maisie to meet but in January this year, police attended the defendant's house and found the mobile phone which had been used to message the decoy. He told police he had been engaging in a "fantasy" and he was not attracted to children,

Appleby, of Cornwallis Way, Rockfield, pleaded not guilty to engaging in sexual communication with a child, causing/inciting a child to look at sexual activity, and attempting to facilitate/commission a child sex offence. He was found guilty by a jury following a trial in June. The court heard he was of previous good character.

In mitigation, Nigel Fryer said his client was no estranged from his adult children as a result of the offences, but continues to have some kind of support from his mother and sister. Mr Fryer added: "His life henceforth is going to be radically different before the discovery of his offences and has lost his reputation."

Sentencing, Judge Daniel Williams said: "In a phone call you made it clear your intention was to meet up with her and engage in sexual activity. There was significant planning and a significant disparity in age."

Appleby was sentenced to three years and six months imprisonment. He was made subject to sex offender notification requirements indefinitely and a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for eight years.

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A PAEDOPHILE branded as “sick and twisted” has been jailed for 15 years after he groomed three young children.

Brandon Seymour, 27, from Ebbw Vale, sexually abused two boys and a girl between 2019 and 2021, Cardiff Crown Court was told.

He was told by the mothers of his victims that he has devastated their lives.

Seymour, currently of Dyffryn Court, Abercarn, Caerphilly pleaded guilty to a catalogue of sexual offences.

The defendant admitted five counts of the sexual assault of a child under the age of 13, two of causing or inciting child a child under the age of 13 to engage in sexual activity and one of possession of indecent images of children.

The child abuse images were found on his mobile phone following his arrest.

Prosecutor Matthew Cobbe read out victim personal statements written by the children’s mothers.

One of them said: “Our lives have been devastated. I feel sick to my stomach.

“I could feel the anger boiling inside me.

“This was an exceptionally painful time in all our lives.”

Another mum told the court: “He’s a sick and twisted individual.

“He has ripped my soul apart. I wouldn’t wish this pain on anyone.”

The court was told the defendant was a man of previous good character with no convictions recorded against him.

Jeffrey Jones representing Seymour said: “He knows what he’s done is clearly wrong and he regrets what he has done.”

He asked that his client be given full credit for his guilty pleas.

The judge, Recorder Duncan Bould, told the defendant: “You have an unhealthy interest in prepubescent children.

“You groomed your victims.”

He told Seymour he was a “dangerous offender” and posed a high risk to children.

The defendant was jailed for 10 years in custody plus an extended licence period of five years.

He will have to serve two-thirds of the 10-year term before he is eligible for parole.

The defendant will have to register as a sex offender for life and pay a £228 victim surcharge upon his release from custody.

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A SEX offender has been jailed for 15 years after he was found guilty of a string of crimes against a child.

John Bliss, of Greenmeadow, Gwent appeared at Chelmsford Crown Court on Thursday, March 16, where he faced charges of rape, sexual assault by touching, and causing a girl to engage in sexual activity.

His victim was under the age of 13.

Following a trial, Bliss, 43, was found guilty of seven of the offences and sentenced to 15 years in prison.

He has also been issued with a lifelong sexual harm prevention order.

An investigation into Bliss originally began in 2020 after Essex Police were contacted by the victim, who was just a child, to disclose she had been subjected to multiple serious sexual assaults in Harlow.

Essex Police’s child abuse investigation team then led an investigation which resulted in Bliss’s arrest.

When interviewed, Bliss denied the offences, but his sentencing will see him stay behind bars until 2038.

The victim, who cannot be named for legal reasons, described the impact the case has had on her life.

She said: “I have constant anxiety which feels like it’s never going away – I find myself waking up in the middle of the night, feeling alarmed and panicked because my mind is telling me that he is standing outside my bedroom.

“I don’t like being away from my home comforts because then I feel unsafe and I don’t like staying around people’s houses, I feel at risk.

“I ask myself, why me? Did I do something wrong? Did I deserve it?”

The victim’s family gave an official statement through the police, which described how they have been dealing with the aftermath of the crime.

They said: “This has been our worst nightmare – something I never thought possible, that anything like this could happen to us.

“Since what happened, we have been picking up pieces to the explosion that has gone off.”

Essex Police’s investigating officer, Sergeant Gemma Marriner, said the force’s crime and public protection team would ensure perpetrators like Bliss will face justice.

She said: “Bliss’ actions on this vulnerable victim were evil and even once he was arrested, he didn’t have the decency to admit what he’d done, resulting in victim and her family being accused of lying.

“The public may underestimate the detrimental effect that these crimes may have on a victim and although she may never forget what has happened, I hope that this sentence can allow her to move forward.

“In sexual offences investigations, victims are often concerned that they will not be believed and that it will be the perpetrators word against theirs, particularly in cases where we do not have any forensic opportunities.

“This is not the case and our Crime and Public Protection Team is formed of officers who are trained and passionate to ensure that dangerous perpetrators get their justice.”

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A paedophile groomed vulnerable young girls into having sex with him in return for gifts of money and vapes. Even after being arrested and released on bail Benjamin Rodgers continued to prey on girls, persuading a third victim to sneak out of the her house in the middle of the night and go to a beach for sex. A probation report has concluded that Rodgers is a dangerous sexual predator.

Swansea Crown Court heard the father-of-two is an active member of his church and has gone overseas on missionary work. His barrister described his offending as "inexplicable".

The court heard the defendant, using the name Danny Thomas, communicated with his teenage victims on the messaging service Snapchat. After chatting with them he arranged to meet them both in the same house on the same day. After getting an Uber vehicle to deliver food to the address he had sex with the children before giving them £90 and vapes in return.

The offending came to light when the dad of one of the girls questioned her about cash she had. The matter was reported to the police and Rodgers was traced. The court heard Rodgers was subsequently positively identified by the girls in an ID parade. The defendant was arrested and questioned but denied the allegations and was released on bail on condition that he not contact any female under 18.

However Rodgers went on to engage another girl in conversation on Snapchat and got her to send him naked photographs. He then arranged to met the girl and persuaded her to leave her house in the middle of night and get into his waiting car. The pair drove to Three Cliffs Bay on Gower where they had sex. The court heard the girl's parents realised she had vanished and reported her missing to police. Rodgers returned the girl to her home just before 5am but his car was seen in the area by officers who were looking for the missing girl. He sped off but the details of his vehicle were noted.

In victim statements which were read to the court the three girls described the impact of the offending on their lives including flashbacks, panic attacks, feelings of anxiety and insecurity, missed schooling, and self-harm. One said Rodgers had made her hate her body.

Benjamin Richard Rodgers, aged 31, of Farm Road, Nantyglo, Brynmawr, admitted three counts of sexual activity with a child . He has previous convictions for theft matters. James Hartson, for Rodgers, said the defendant was an intelligent, articulate, and educated man who had gone to Cape Verde as a missionary as part of his work with the church. The barrister said the references before the court spoke of a loyal, honest, and hardworking husband and father to two children, and he described the offending before the court has an "not just out of character but an aberration of character" and as "inexplicable".

Judge Geraint Walters told Rodgers that what he had done to his victims would live with them for the rest of their lives and be a "recurring nightmare". He said he had read a letter written by the defendant in which he said he was sorry he had caused so much harm to the girls and said he wished he had "followed the standards his parents had set him". The judge said an experienced probation officer had identified the predatory and planned nature of the defendant's offending and had come to the conclusion he should be considered a dangerous offender in the meaning of the relevant legislation.

With a discount for his guilty pleas Rodgers was given a 16-year extended sentence comprising 12 years in custody followed by a four-year extended 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 released. Rodgers will be a registered sex offender for the rest of his life and was made the subject of an indefinite sexual harm prevention order to control his access to girls.

Record details

A RAPIST who sexually assaulted a woman as they watched a war film together on Netflix has been jailed.

Sebastian Smith, 26, from Brynmawr, pinned his victim down on a bed and ignored her cries as she begged him to stop attacking her. 

After he raped her the defendant pleaded with the woman not to report to the police what he’d done to her. 

 During Smith’s trial, John Ryan, prosecuting, said the victim told her attacker: “I feel sick to the stomach. I told you to stop.”

Jurors were told the defendant replied: “I done wrong. I really hate myself.

“Please don’t go the police. I’m begging you. I’m shaking like a leaf. I’m dying here myself.”

Smith, of George Street, was found guilty of rape and sexual assault by penetration.

He had denied both charges against him.

When Smith was arrested and questioned in 2020 he gave police a prepared statement in which he said he and the woman had intercourse consensually.

He said that it was she who had started kissing him and initiated sexual contact between them.

Giving evidence in his defence at his trial at Cardiff Crown Court, Smith was asked by his barrister Jenny Yeo to tell the jury what happened.

He told them: “We were play fighting and kissing.

“She then put her hands on me between my legs.”

Smith said he had put his penis inside her but she had told him, “No”.

The defendant insisted: “As soon as she said no I went straight out.”

Mr Ryan played a recording of the 999 call the woman had made to the police following the two assaults.

She told the emergency services operator: “I went to his house to watch a film.

“He put his hand down my trousers.

“I told him to stop it.”

The victim added: “I did touch him and said to him, ‘How would you like it if I touched you?’

“I told him I didn’t want to do it.

“He pinned me down on the bed and pulled down my trousers.”

Smith was jailed for five years and five months and has to register as a sex offender for life.