Latest Offenders Newport

Description

A man from South Wales who travelled to Swindon to meet with a child has been jailed for multiple sexual offences.

Matthew Pritchard, from Bettws in Newport, was arrested in January 2024 after travelling to Swindon to meet what he believed was a girl aged under 13.

Instead, Pritchard was met by police officers who had been working with the undercover Online Investigations Team at the South West Regional Organised Crime Unit (SWROCU).

Appearing before Swindon Crown Court on May 13, 34-year-old Pritchard pleaded guilty to five sexual offences and one charge of animal cruelty.

These include arranging a child sex offence, two counts of causing a child under 16 to look at an image of sexual activity, attempting to meet a girl under 16 following grooming, attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child, and causing unnecessary suffering to an animal.

The sex offender was sentenced to four years in prison and concurrent sentences.

“Pritchard set out in January with the intention of meeting a young girl to sexually abuse. He clearly poses a high risk to children," said Detective Inspector David Wells, who led the team.

“Law enforcement agencies are constantly across the internet working to identify anyone looking to abuse or exploit children. Pritchard’s arrest was part of this ongoing work.”

Pritchard’s dog that he abused has now been happily rehomed.

Description

A man who was raped in a classroom by a history teacher as a schoolboy said the abuse he suffered "broke him". He said he attempted to kill himself by smoking 20 cigarettes a day and "craved for cancer".

Gareth Rogers 77, was a teacher at Caerleon Comprehensive School in Newport during the 1970s, and in his 20s, when he performed oral sex on one of the boys in his classroom before raping him behind a cupboard door. He also touched another boy's penis and masturbated him, while tutoring the victim in his bedroom.

The first victim came forward and notified the police in 2018 after disclosing the abuse to his mother and his sister. The second victim came forward in 2019 after he was told Rogers had been arrested. The defendant denied five counts of indecent assault and one count of buggery, and claimed the allegations have been "made up" by the complainants. But he was found guilty of all six counts by a jury, following a trial a Newport Crown Court.

The defendant has a number of previous convictions involving the sexual abuse of children. In 1997, he was convicted of indecently assaulting two girls under 14 years old. In February 2014, Rogers was convicted of indecently assaulting two boys in the 1980s and in March 2014, he was convicted of sexually assaulting two teenage girls.

During a sentencing hearing at Cardiff Crown Court on Tuesday, Rogers' first victim said: "At the time (of the abuse), I fully trusted people in a position of trust and responsibility. I knew nothing of paedophelia or of it even existing, it was the 1970s and we were not aware. I was a happy child who became an unhappy adult, the effect on me emotionally was devastating and I no longer trusted anyone. I thought this must be what adults do and I was terrified of adult males for years until I was old and strong enough to repel occurrences.

"I was untrusting of males and males in authority. My initial thought is not to trust people and keep a low profile... That level of distrust stayed with me all my life post attack and I had feelings of self disgust, low self esteem, low self confidence and ashamed of what happened...

"After being 20, I decided I could not cope with the shame, I resolved to kill myself by the time I was 50. I planned to do this naturally and craved for cancer. I smoked 20 Marlboro a day as a documentary said this would lead to an early death.... I am not the person I was meant to be and I don't like the person I have become. When I got to 50 and I wasn't dead, I couldn't cope with life anymore. I was on medication every day and went to see the doctor and opened up to him. I was stressed, anxious and depressed and have been on prescribed antidepressants....

"I struggled to see a future, all I can see is the past and the devastating effect it's had on my life. It's too late for therapy as the damage has already been done.... I would have loved to have been happily married and have kids but for reasons mentioned this hasn't happened. It's a major source of regret and I blame the attack for any inadequacies in this area, and made relationships feel sordid to me. He broke me."

Rogers' second victim also wrote a statement, read out to the court by prosecutor Ieuan Bennett. He said: "As this was a historic crime I have suffered differing amounts of emotional problems over the years. I packed the memory deep inside my mind but of course it would come back in varying degrees of time. It affected my personal life and trust of people and affected relationships with people close to me.

"I couldn't be totally honest with them, keeping what happened to me a secret. I believe it was a significant cause of me becoming alcoholic, drinking to deal with emotions and memory of abuse I suffered. My addiction slowly affected the way I lived and worked and as a result I was sent to rehab. I have been sober for seven years. Along with the guilty verdict, it allowed me to lay to rest many demons. It affected the way I trust and interact with people over the years and led to many breakdowns."

In mitigation, Ruth Smith said her client had served a number of sentences in relation to his previous convictions, but these were the most serious and the first committed in time. She said the defendant's risk has diminished because of the courses he had carried out while incarcerated, and due to his age he is no longer in positions where he is able to exploit his access to children.

Sentencing, the Recorder of Cardiff Judge Tracey Lloyd-Clarke said: "It's clear from your convictions you have a long standing sexual interest in children over the years. You have severely damaged the lives of a number of people. The two victims in this case, you left their lives severely damaged. Your actions and consequences for them have destroyed the lives they could have led had you not done what you did."

The judge said the defendant was at "significant risk" of committing further sexual offences against children. She said she was "satisfied" he still has an sexual interest in children, and is at risk of causing "severe physical and psychological harm".

Rogers, of Commercial Street, Newport, was sentenced to 17 years imprisonment, and an extended licence period of three years. He must serve two thirds of the custodial term before he is considered eligible for release, and was made subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order indefinitely.

Description

A stalker had a mould of his penis delivered to his victim, a court has heard. The unsavoury delivery was part of campaign of behaviour by Bobby Williams which saw him repeatedly turning up at the woman's house and even harassing her on a beach - all in breach of a restraining order.

The 39-year-old's barrister told Swansea Crown Court the father-of-three was ashamed of his behaviour. A judge said it was clear the defendant had a "fixation" with his victim and told him if he continued to offend in a similar way he would be facing ever increasing prison sentences.

Caitlin Brazel, prosecuting, said in July last year Williams was made the subject of a 24-month community order and a 12-month restraining order after being convicted of stalking a woman. However, within weeks of the restraining order being imposed he began breaching it. The court heard the defendant started messaging the woman on Snapchat, and then began turning up at her house. The prosecutor said on one occasion the defendant had a "gift" delivered to the woman's home which contained "a mould of his erect penis" and on another occasion he shouted verbal abuse at the woman and followed her after encountering her on a beach. He also approached a neighbour of the woman and talked about seeing her abroad as the restraining order would not apply outside the UK.

The defendant was arrested on January 3 this year and taken to Haverfordwest police station. The court heard he answered "no comment" to most questions asked in interview but when questioned about the "gift" of the penis he "simply smiled and said 'it is hers'". In a statement from the victim that was read to the court by the prosecutor the woman said the defendant's "relentless behaviour" had been "exhausting and draining" and left her feeling like a prisoner in her own home.

Bobby Williams, of Parrog Road, Newport, Pembrokeshire, had previously pleaded guilty to stalking and to five counts of breaching a restraining order when he appeared in the dock for sentencing. He has nine previous convictions for 22 offences between 2002 and 2023. Freddie Lewendon, for Williams, said the defendant was ashamed of his actions and wished to apologise to his victim. He said the defendant had struggled with alcohol since his teenage years and the "drinking culture" associated with his work in the scaffolding trade had been to his detriment. He added that bereavement in his teens had left the father-of-three with "abandonment issues" for which he was now receiving counselling.

Judge Huw Rees said it was clear the defendant had a "fixation" in regard to the woman and said it seemed he had little hesitancy in breaching court orders. He told the defendant if he continued to offend in a similar way he would find himself being sent to prison for incrementally longer periods of time. With a one-third discount for his guilty pleas Williams was sentenced to 16 months in prison comprising 16 months for breaching the restraining order offences and 10 months for the stalking offence to run concurrently. The community order imposed in 2023 was revoked and the defendant was resentenced to 12 months in prison for that matter to run concurrently with the new sentence. Williams will serve up to half the 16-month sentence in custody before being released on licence to serve the remainder in the community.

Description

A sadistic thug viciously raped one woman in a horrific attack and tied up another woman with tape before threatening to kill her. He left one of his victims unconscious after he stamped on her head and neck.

John Harding, 30, of Newport, committed brutal attacks upon his two victims which left them fearing for their lives. The defendant has a long history of violence committed against women.

A sentencing hearing at Merthyr Tydfil Crown Court heard the first victim was attacked by Harding who threw her to the ground and stood on her head, which caused her to scream in pain. He then dragged her along the floor and kicked and punched her to the side of her head. The defendant then grabbed her throat and put his fist to her head.

Recounting the facts of the assault Judge Jeremy Jenkins said: "In an act bordering on sadistic you bent down close to her face and told her she was not scared enough. She must have been scared out of her wits."

Harding later twice raped the victim and ignored the victim's shouts for him to stop. He also used his fingers to penetrate her, which caused her "extreme pain". He then performed a sex act in a "final act of degradation", the court heard.

The second victim was just a teenager when she was assaulted by Harding who was said to have treated her with "disdain and cruelty". During the first attack he threw her to the ground, kicked and stood on her head, and strangled her until she lost consciousness.

When she came round she saw the defendant on top of her and he was hitting her chest to get her to breathe again. He then threw her to the floor a second time and kicked her. Over the next few days the victim suffered increasing swelling and bruising to her head and discovered she had broken ribs.

During the second attack upon the victim Harding took tape from a rucksack and used it to tie her up. The more she struggled the tighter the tape became. Two men passed nearby and the defendant threatened to kill the victim and the men if she screamed out. He then produced a pair of scissors and held the blade to her throat in what was described by Judge Jenkins as a "terrifying incident".

Following his arrests Harding, of Corporation Road, denied the offences but was found guilty of two counts of rape, assault by penetration, two counts of intentional strangulation, two counts of assault occasioning actual bodily harm, two counts of false imprisonment, and making threats to kill. After the trial the defendant wrote a letter to the first victim from prison, which caused her great distress.

The court heard he has seven previous convictions including assault occasioning actual bodily harm, battery, and witness intimidation committed against women. One of these occasions he put his foot on the victim's neck and threatened to "smash her head in" with a weight.

Reading out her victim personal statement via videolink the first victim said: "Every day I have to battle demons in my head which tell me to stay in bed. I have to go back to PTSD attacks. I not only see events, I feel the same emotions of being in fear for my life and feeling completely helpless."

The victim said she was suffering from flashbacks and when she leaves the house she feels overwhelmed by anxiety. She added: "I feel as though I have the word 'victim' written on my face and when I leave the house or when someone looks at me I feel they know what has happened to me. It's dehumanising....

"If you could imagine going through the worst moment of your life and having no input in how it's dealt with. That's what I go through every day... I can't put into words how this has made me feel, I don't know myself. [It has] torn scars in my soul that will last forever and even God can't heal. I have to be the final girl. If me doing this can save someone's life I'll do it 10 times over."

In mitigation Kevin Seal said his client "needs help" in custody in order to change his attitude towards women and the way he manages his problems and his life in general. He said the defendant will "need to become a completely different person" if he wished to have contact with his child.

Sentencing, Judge Jeremy Jenkins said: "These two brave young complainants have given evidence of a most frightening experience in which each suffered at your hands with a degree of violent and sexual degradation. This is deeply concerning the more so when one considers your antecedent history...

"This simply cannot be ignored. You are a danger to young women. I will go further and say with confidence that in your company no young lady is truly safe. You pose a significant risk of harm to members of the public."

Harding was sentenced to a total of 15 years imprisonment with an extended licence period of five years. He will serve at least two-thirds of the custodial sentence before he will be considered for parole. The defendant was also made subject to two restraining orders and sex offender notification requirements indefinitely.

Description

A man carried out a campaign of rapes and sexual abuse of girls and women spanning more than two decades, a court has heard. Nicholas Lloyd began his reign of sexual violence when he was a teenager and carried on into his 40s.

The defendant has been handed an extended 28-year sentence for public protection and will be a registered sex offender for the rest of his life. Sending him down a judge told him in was clear he had caused huge harm to his victims.

Swansea Crown Court heard statements from the three victims in which they set out the devastating impact of the abuse they suffered at Lloyd's hands not just on them but on their families. The women detailed how they had been left feeling worthless and suffering with anxiety, panic attacks, depression, and trust issues and how they had been left living with trauma and fear for years or even decades. One described how Lloyd had "taken her childhood and innocence" while another said she had been left questioning everything and feeling like she did not deserve happiness. The women also described the stress and pain of going through the legal process and of having to relive the abuse in court.

Nicholas Lloyd, aged 51, of Sandpiper Way, Duffryn, Newport, had previously been convicted at trial of 20 counts including rape of a woman, rape of a girl under 13, rape of a girl under 16, indecent assault, gross indecency with a child, sexual assault, and engaging in sexual activity with a child when he returned to the dock for sentencing.

Judge Catherine Richards said it was clear the defendant had caused huge harm to his victims and she said she had no doubt an extended sentence was necessary to protect the public. Lloyd was made the subject of a 28-year extended sentence comprising 23 years in custody followed by a five-year licence period. The defendant can apply to be released after serving two-thirds of the custodial element 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 rest of his life.

Description

A tattooist who paid a teenage girl for sex in his tattoo parlour has been jailed. He gave her a tattoo in exchange for sexual favours and later told police he was "killing two birds with one stone".

Adrian Edwards, 57, of Newport, was found guilty of two counts of paying a child for sex, and not guilty of one count. He claimed there was no monetary agreement between him and the then 16-year-old victim, and she was 18-years-old when they first slept together.

But this was disbelieved by a jury following a trial at Newport Crown Court in September, which heard Edwards had intercourse and oral sex with the girl on a number of occasions. Their first sexual encounter took place at the defendant's tattoo parlour in Caerphilly, after the victim "pestered" him for a tattoo and told him "I'll do anything".

During his remarks at a sentencing hearing on Thursday, Recorder Dyfed Thomas said: ""You took advantage of that child Mr Edwards, as she was a child at the ages of 16 and 17 for your own sexual gratification. You promised payment of money and had sexual activity with her which was alleged and found guilty by a jury. You knew as an older man with money she would go along with what you suggested."

In his opening of the case to the jury, prosecutor James Wilson described the encounter as a "cold transaction". He added: "(The defendant) took her into the piercing room, locked the doors, and started to touch her. He bent her over the piercing bed and put his penis inside her. Afterwards he laughed and asked her what tattoo she wanted."

The court was told Edwards paid the victim for sex regularly, and she used the cash to buy alcohol and hair extensions amongst other things. They continued to meet with each other after the defendant began working at one of the tattoo parlours he opened in Cardiff.

Mr Wilson said Edwards continued paying the complainant for sex after she turned 18-years-old, but the jury were only concerned with the events prior to her 18th birthday. The victim contacted the police in 2019 and was interviewed about her allegations towards the defendant.

Edwards, of Caerleon Road, Newport, was invited to a voluntary interview with police which he attended. He claimed the girl asked him for money on a number of occasions before they had sex, and he had given £100. He told police: "She was all over me, she would come up, stroke me and kiss me, all kinds of things. I thought 'She obviously wants more money'.

The defendant described their relationship as "completely clinical". He described himself having a "high sex drive" and admitted to using prostitutes in the past. It was alleged he told police that sex between himself and the complainant was "consensual" and he paid her some of the time, and added: "No words were exchanged, it was an understanding.

Later in the interview, he told police he was "disgusted with himself" but didn't see what he was doing was wrong as "it was like a prostitute". He added: "It was killing two birds with one stone, passion and helping her out with money."

Edwards has a number of previous convictions including theft by an employee in 1984, tattooing a person under 18 in 2016, and other offences including matters of dishonesty, driving offences, theft and handling stolen goods.

In mitigation, defence barrister Julia Cox referred to her client's character and the work he had done with sporting bodies. She said: "He'd been involved with charitable organisations and involved with reputable sporting bodies not only towards his socialisation but his positive impact on others. He travelled the country taking part in darts tournaments and organised events on their behalf working closely with the national bodies."

Ms Cox also referred to the defendant's ill health, having suffered a stroke at a young age and has diabetes. She said the victim would have been able to legally consent to sex as she was not under the age of consent.

Sentencing, Recorder Thomas said the defendant continued to deny the offences, and minimised his actions by claiming the victim was over 18 at the time of the offences. It was said Edwards did not accept his actions would have caused harm, and referred tothe victim as a "liar and untrustworthy".

The judge added: "It's clear from reading the (pre sentence) report you think of yourself as the victim in this case. There's no remorse that has been expressed that would have been a mitigating feature but it's singularly absent in this case....

Edwards was sentenced to 28 months imprisonment. He was also made subject to a restraining order for 10 years.

Description

A PAEDOPHILE has been jailed after he was convicted of a catalogue of sexual offences in east Wales.

Chris Hood, 36, admitted three counts of making an indecent photograph of a child and one each of taking an indecent photograph of a child and possessing an extreme pornographic image involving an animal.

The defendant also pleaded guilty to two counts of observing a person doing a private act and one each of voyeurism by recording a private act and voyeurism by installing equipment or constructing/adapting a structure.

Hood’s offences were committed in Newport (Gwent) and Chepstow.

The defendant was jailed for 26 months at Cardiff Crown Court.

He will have to register as a sex offender for the next 10 years and he was made the subject of a sexual harm prevention order for the same period.

Description

A worker later described as a "bad man" by the three-year-old girl he sexually assaulted has been jailed. Kevin Sillcox was carrying out work at the family's home when the incident happened.

Sillcox, 63, committed the offence - exposing his penis to the girl before removing her underwear and touching her - while working in her bedroom last year. The girl and her mother had been downstairs while he was working, but a court heard that at some stage she went up to play in her room.

On Wednesday, Newport Crown Court was told that Sillcox, from the Welsh city, was found out some time later, when the girl asked if the "bad man" would be coming back. She went on to describe what he had done to her.

Sillcox, of Commercial Road, denied the offences, claiming the allegations had been "fabricated". However, he was found guilty of sexually touching a child under the age of 13 following a trial, reports Wales Online.

In victim personal statements read out to the court by prosecutor Matthew Roberts, the girl's father said: "I am reliving the incident again and felt unable to help my daughter when she was in distress... We no longer feel safe in our own home. I feel I no longer know my daughter. She is less trusting and pulls away from me."

The father described the impact of the assault as an "emotional rollercoaster" and stated he tried to take his own life and had turned to alcohol. He added: "It's awful to think this man came into my daughter's home, that was supposed to be her safe space, and did this to her."

The girl's mother said: "The actions of Sillcox have greatly affected me and my daughter's life. Since he committed this crime I have been unable to sleep at night and I'm constantly afraid it will happen again. I am no longer able to trust people as before. It's torn me to pieces, I've never felt so isolated and alone... The trauma has made me feel things I had never felt.... I cry all the time and find it hard to get my head around how he came into my home and did this to the most vulnerable person in the house, my beautiful daughter."

The mother said her daughter was "cautious, scared and worried", hides away and finds it hard to socialise, which the mother described as "heartbreaking" to see. The court heard Sillcox had four previous convictions, none of which were sexual offences. His barrister, Alex Greenwood, said the offence was "relatively short in duration" and said there was no penetration involved.

Sentencing, Recorder Greg Bull KC said: "The effect on (the victim) and her parents has been significant, she has seemed to have a changed personality and is no longer the child she was. You have shown no remorse and chose to plead not guilty as was your right. You said it was a concocted allegation against you. I reject that allegation by you."

Sillcox was sentenced to four years of imprisonment. He was also made subject to sex offender notification requirements indefinitely and will be made subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order at a later date.

Description

A predatory paedophile sexually abused young girls for his "own depraved sexual urges". He left his victims scared of potential violence and thinking they would not be believed if they were to report the assaults.

Gary Morgan, 59, of Newport, targeted his two victims during the 1980s and 1990s. The abuse involved him touching one victim's naked genitalia as well as her chest and her bottom.

A sentencing hearing at Merthyr Tydfil Crown Court heard the defendant stopped abusing the girl after she shouted: "No" as he attempted to touch her again. In his sentencing remarks. Recorder Dyfed Thomas said: "You pathetically apologised and said you thought she liked it. She was scared because nobody said no to you but she as a child was brave enough to do so."

Morgan sexually assaulted the second victim on two occasions, the first of which involved him pinning her arms against her side, forcing her legs open, and pressing his body up against her. This happened a second time on a later date when he pushed her down, pinned her, and pressed himself up against her.

Decades after the abuse the victims contacted the police and Morgan faced a trial. He denied the offences and claimed the victims were lying but he was found guilty of six offences of indecent assault. The defendant, of Jackson Court, has no relevant previous convictions.

In a victim personal statement read out to the court by prosecutor Nigel Fryer the first victim said: "As a child I was constantly scared and recall feeling physical pain. This was due to the trauma.... I was worried disclosing what had happened would lead to violence. I have had to live with this since I was a child and I continue to live with this. It became a learnt behaviour.

"I find it difficult to ask anybody for help. I became a destructive teenager and lost trust in authority and adults. The abuse impacted my education and I could have done so much better in school if I didn't have to deal with this.... I suffer with nightmares. I constantly feel guilty and responsible for the way other people feel. I feel guilty for not saying something sooner as I could have prevented other people being abused by this man."

The second victim said: "I struggle to get my head around everything that happened to me with this man. As a child I was scared – scared of what this man was capable of and what it would lead to. When I think about what this man has done to me I automatically get emotional – it has stayed with me throughout my life. I was afraid of him – he made me feel weak and helpless and when the incidents happened I was in shock and so vulnerable."

In mitigation defence barrister Thomas Stanway said his client was "living a chaotic lifestyle" at the time of the offences and had difficulties with alcohol but had "turned his life around" after beginning a relationship with his current partner of 23 years. He said the defendant had been in consistent employment in the construction industry and was a "family man" and "hardworking".

Sentencing, Recorder Thomas said: "You are a sexual offender who has been convicted of being a predatory paedophile whose offences were opportunistic in nature. You used children for your own depraved sexual urges."

Morgan was sentenced to a total of seven years imprisonment. He was also made subject to sex offender notification requirements and a restraining order indefinitely and a sexual harm prevention order for 15 years.

Description

Robert Man, 43, is wanted in his home country to complete a jail sentence for abusing seven youngsters during a three-year period.

Some of his victims were reportedly groomed after he landed a job driving children to a campsite run by a humanitarian charity.

Man is also wanted for possessing indecent images of children. His youngest victim was just nine.

He is currently on bail while appealing an extradition order made by a judge at Westminster Magistrates Court in London in July.

Man wears an electronic tag and is under a 7am to midday curfew at his home in Newport, South Wales, which allows him to do night shifts at an Amazon distribution centre in Bristol.

The retail giant confirmed Man was an employee but refused to say if they were aware of his criminal history. A spokesman said: “We are investigating.”

Alarmingly, Man’s rented room in Newport is just 150 yards from Stow Park Community Centre, which hosts weekly martial arts classes for kids as young as four, as well as children’s parties and clubs for youngsters with autism.

Willie Clason, secretary and trustee of Stow Park, said he did not recognise Man and that he has no connection with the centre.

“We have refugees coming here for food parcels, but they are thoroughly checked,” he said.

One neighbour with children, who did not wish to be named, said they no idea of Man’s past.

“It is terrible that someone wanted for such dreadful things against children is living so close by,” she protested. “We should have been told.”

Man has three years and three months left to serve of a five years and eight months sentence imposed by the County Court in Cluj in his absence in January 2020.

He was originally sentenced to 17 years and four months’ imprisonment after he made admissions to prosecutors in Romania in 2017.

However, Man was released months later after an appeal court ruled there had been errors during the original prosecution and that he “had not been fully entitled to exercise his right to defence.”

A judge set aside his conviction and ordered a retrial, where he was found guilty of eight sexual abuse charges, including five assaults, two counts of soliciting a minor for “sexual acts” and one child pornography offence.

Description

A man stole a handbag, a bank card from a house and items from a supermarket in a crime spree in Newport. Cardiff Crown Court heard how Robert Devney, who refused to appear before the court, has been required to register as a sex offender indefinitely since 2004. On October 18 last year, he attended a police station to register as having no fixed abode, meaning he should have notified officers of his whereabouts a week later, but he did not.

On December 31 last year Devney entered a house in the early hours of the morning and stole a Natwest bank card, which he was caught on CCTV using at a service station in Newport at 2.48am, spending £33.76. On February 8 of this year, he stole £76.50 worth of goods from Sainsbury's in Newport. He returned to the same store the following day stealing items worth over £62, but this time he was detained and the items were recovered.

On April 7 of this year, he again failed to comply with his registration requirements, and on April 20 he failed to surrender at Newport Magistrates' Court. On June 25, he entered a different Sainsbury's store in Newport and stole items worth £14.75. From there Devney went into an office to the rear of the store, and unsuccessfully tried a safe, but did steal a handbag belonging to a staff member.

Devney, 50, of Chepstow Road, Newport, was sentenced at Cardiff Crown Court in his absence having been convicted of two counts of failure to comply with notification requirements, fraud by false representation, three counts of theft from a shop, failure to appear before Newport Magistrates' Court, and a non-dwelling burglary.

No mitigation was offered on behalf of Devney as his barrister was not given any instructions. Her honour judge Tracey Lloyd-Clarke sentenced Devney to three years and four months in prison.

Description

A CONVICTED paedophile has been sent to prison for refereeing a children’s football game and teaching a young boy a sexual gesture.

Registered sex offender Brian Tapper, 56, from Newport was barred from having unsupervised contact with children under the age of 16 after being jailed in 2020.

He was locked up three years ago for trying to contact 13-year-old girls online after being caught by paedophile hunters and undercover police officers.

Tapper was made the subject of a 10-year sexual harm prevention order (SHPO) following that conviction which prevented him from having unsupervised contact with underage children.

The defendant, formerly of Pontypool, breached that condition on July 20 when he refereed a children’s football match played in the street where he lived in Newport.

Prosecutor Susan Ferrier said Tapper also taught one of the players a sexual gesture.

The defendant put his finger through a circle he’s made with his other hand, she told Cardiff Crown Court.

Tapper’s neighbours and the children’s parents were “totally unaware” that Tapper was a sex offender.

His offending only came to light when he told his probation officer he’d been a ref in the street football game.

Tapper pleaded guilty to being in breach of a SHPO.

Miss Ferrier said that, as well as being jailed for 14 months three years ago, the defendant also had multiple previous convictions for exposure which dated back to 1989.

He was also handed a suspended prison sentence in January this year for being in breach of a SHPO after he admitted using Snapchat without retaining the messaging app’s history.

Ben Waters representing Tapper said his client’s offending last month had shown “a lack of intelligence”.

He asked the court to take into account the defendant’s early guilty plea.

Judge Lucy Crowther told Tapper: “This was a very serious and persistent breach.

“It involved contact with children and you actually engaging with them on a personal level and you showed a sexual gesture.”

She jailed Tapper for 18 months for the SHPO breach and six months on top for being in breach of the suspended prison sentence she imposed earlier this year.

The defendant was told he would serve half of his two-year term in custody before being released on licence.

She imposed on him a new SHPO to last for another 10 years.

Description

A CONVICTED rapist has been jailed after he went on to sexually assault a woman in her own home.

Mark Holmes, 38, from Newport jumped on his victim, put his hand over her mouth before he carried out two sex attacks on her.

He further “humiliated” her by verbally abusing her during her ordeal.

Holmes was found guilty of two counts of assault by penetration by a jury following a trial in May.

The offences were committed in the summer of 2021.

Holmes’ previous rape conviction was in 2002 when he was a boy.

The defendant raped a 15-year-old girl on his 17th birthday and was sentenced to an 18-month detention and training order at Cardiff Crown Court.

Owen Williams, prosecuting, read out the victim impact statement of the woman who was assaulted two years ago.

She said: “I feel like a stranger in my own home.

“I have been frightened to go out of my own front door.

“I live in fear day in day out.

“This has had a profound effect on my emotional wellbeing.

“What did I do to deserve this?”

Susan Ferrier representing Holmes said there was little she could say in mitigation.

She told Cardiff Crown Court: “He continues to maintain he wasn’t responsible for the offending.”

Miss Ferrier added: “There is another side to this man who is capable of being kind-hearted and caring.”

The judge, Recorder Mark Cotter KC, told Holmes: “You jumped on your victim, you overpowered her and you put your hand over her mouth.

“The fact that you have a previous conviction for an extremely serious offence, although that was committed many years ago, is troubling.”

The defendant was jailed for eight years and six months and will have to serve two-thirds of that sentence before being released on licence.

Holmes has to register as a sex offender for life.

Description

A NEWPORT child rapist left his young victim "depressed, torn and broken" after assaulting her at her family home.

Frantisek Mirga, 39 and of Corporation Road, Newport, appeared before Cardiff Crown Court earlier today to be sentenced.

He had been convicted of raping a girl under the age of 16.

The offence took place on November 13, 2022.

Mirga, originally from Czechia, had been drinking vodka and was given accommodation at a friend’s house on account of his not being able to drive.

He was staying in the living room of the house.

When the victim, who was aged 15 at the time, came downstairs for a drink of water, Mirga invited her into the living room where he raped her.

Two victim impact statements were read to the court, detailing the harrowing effect Mirga's actions had had on the young girl.

The first, dated February 24, read: "I’m living in fear. Absolutely horrified for what is going to happen. I don’t trust any man. I feel completely embarrassed.

"I’m not myself. Everything is different now. One day I could be fine and then everything grows on me and negative thoughts enter my mind.

"I cry every day. When I’m alone I zone out. I’m depressed, torn and broken. I feel weak."

The victim mentioned suffering flashbacks.

"The sadness wins," she said.

"Every day is a nightmare. I’m not me anymore."

A second impact statement, dated June 3, explained how Mirga's victim "has no way of coping".

She spoke of having "so much anger and sadness" and waking up with flashbacks which terrify her.

Mirga has the following previous convictions – though none are related to the offence he was being sentenced for today:

• Handling stolen goods – June, 2015
• Public order offence – September, 2012
• Theft – October, 2002
• Illegally entering a private property – September, 2004

The first two offences listed above took place in the UK, with the final two taking place when Mirga was living in Czechia.

Mitigation on Mirga's behalf "will be pithy", his barrister explained.

The defendant's partner and sister were described as having health issues.

Mirga himself was said to be remorseful "in that he understands UK law is different to that in Czechia".

The court also heard that Mirga has two female grandchildren, both of a young age.

Judge David Morgan, summing up, said: "It was your intent all along to take advantage of your victim should the opportunity arise.

"You had already sent inappropriate messages.

"You knew your victim was 15 and that the UK age of consent is 16.

"There is a 22-year age disparity between you.

"The assault took place at the victim’s home where she is entitled to feel safe."

He said there Mirga posed a “significant risk to members of the public, young girls in particular”.

Mirga was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment for the charge of raping a girl under the age of 16.

He is to serve seven of those years in custody, with the three remaining years on license.

A restraining order was also put in place “until further notice”, meaning Mirga was prohibited from communicating with his victims, entering any premises occupied by her or going within 100 metres of such premises.

A sexual harm prevention order was also put in place “until further notice”.

Under this, Mirga is prohibited from living in the same household as any female under the age of 16. He is also prohibited from entering any such household without the express permission of any parent or guardian (with knowledge of his conviction) or the approval of social services.

Mirga must also register as a sex offender.

Description

A man has been sentenced for a string of child sex offences, which included crimes against a baby.

Rodney Morgan was jailed for 14 years at Swindon Crown Court on Thursday after pleading guilty to 15 offences.

The investigating Wiltshire Police officer said Morgan's crimes were "one of the most horrendous cases" she had dealt with in her 18 year career.

Morgan, 56, was living in Newport when he was arrested in September 2022 but had previously lived in Swindon.

Morgan was first investigated after officers from Wiltshire Police's child internet exploitation team (CIET) received intelligence he had uploaded a child abuse image online.

It was during his police interview that the full extent of his offending came to light, including that he had filmed himself raping a baby.

Det Con Justine Parsons, of Wiltshire Police, described Morgan's crimes as "truly appalling".

'Completely abhorrent'

She said: "The abuse the victim - a baby - suffered at the hands of Morgan is completely abhorrent.

"Morgan filmed himself abusing an innocent baby on multiple occasions for his own sexual gratification.

"I am glad he has been given a lengthy jail sentence so he no longer poses a threat to babies and children."

Morgan pleaded guilty to the rape of a child, three counts of sexual assault of a child by penetration, one count of sexual assault and one count of attempted rape of a child.

He also admitted six counts of making indecent images of children relating to 8,985 images, and a count of distributing indecent images relating to 1,219 images.

The defendant further admitted two counts of taking an indecent image of a child.