Latest Offenders SA4

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A "manipulative and predatory" man took indecent photos of a young girl in her swimsuit, a court has heard. Daniel Minton was descried as "sexually pre-occupied" and with little regard for sexual boundaries.

Swansea Crown Court heard 44-year-old Minton took the photographs of the schoolgirl in a hot tub at a location where the child had gone to drink alcohol and to "party" in 2021. Most of the photographs focused on the girl's groin area and partially showed her genitalia, and they were placed in Category C of the categorisation of indecent photographs.

Daniel Minton, of Penclawdd Road, Penclawdd, Gower, denied making indecent photographs but was convicted at trial. The court heard that following his conviction a probation officer had discussed with the defendant the possibility of him doing a community-based sex offender course, and he replied: "Do you want a load of dead paedos? Because that is what will happen."

Ian Ibrahim, for Minton, accepted the pre-sentence report "makes unpleasant reading" and said "it seems the author of the report and Mr Minton did not see eye-to-eye". He said it had been the defendant's evidence that he had consumed alcohol on the night in question, and he said Minton had then "foolishly" taken the photographs. The barrister added that the defendant's life had changed dramatically since the offending.

Recorder Mark Powell KC said he had requested a pre-sentence report into the defendant because of his concerns about the offending and the circumstances in which it had been taken, and he said the resulting report "makes very disturbing reading". He said an experienced probation officer had concluded that Minton was a "manipulative and predatory" man who took risk-taking to the point of recklessness, and that the risk could not be managed in the community. The judge said it was clear from what he had read, and from the evidence in the trial, that the defendant was "very ego-centric", had "distorted thinking" and was "sexually pre-occupied" with little regard for sexually boundaries.

Minton was sentenced to two years in prison - he will serve up to half that period in custody before being released on licence to serve the remainder in the community. He was placed on the sex offenders register for 10 years and was made the subject of a sexual harm prevention order for the same length of time.