Latest Offenders

Description

Following a Thames Valley Police investigation, a man has been jailed for two rapes, an assault by penetration and drug-dealing in Wantage. 

Dylan Sims, aged 21, of St Marys, Wantage, was sentenced to nine years and six months’ imprisonment, with a further three years and six months on an extended license, at Oxford Crown Court today (24/6).

A jury unanimously found Sims guilty of two counts of rape and one count of assault by penetration at the same court on 8 May this year, after a seven-day trial. The jury also unanimously found Sims not guilty of a third count of rape.

Sims pleaded guilty to one count each of being concerned in supplying a controlled drug of classes A and B, namely cocaine and cannabis, and supplying a controlled drug of class A to another, namely cocaine, at the same court in May last year.

In October 2022, a 17-year-old girl and a woman told police about Sims’ sexual offences and cocaine and cannabis dealing, all of which was committed in Wantage from 2021 to 2022.

Sims was arrested on 14 October 2022, and charged on 22 February last year.

Investigating officer Detective Constable Jennifer Gibbons said: "I am pleased with the sentence given out to Dylan Sims, one that fits his abhorrent crimes.

“Sims has never shown any remorse for his actions; he lied in his police interviews and denied the offences, even when faced with overwhelming evidence.

“Sims later changed his account at court – admitting drug offences but denying rape.

“Thankfully, the jury was able to see through this and after only four hours deliberation, found him guilty of two rapes and a sexual assault by penetration.

“I would like to thank both victims for their courage coming to police, as well as all the witnesses who came forward and supported the investigation.

“I hope this conviction gives those who have been affected by sexual offending the confidence to stand up and know they will be listened to. This conviction highlights not only our commitment to tackling these crimes, but also our commitment to support violence against women and girls, as well as all victims of sexual violence.”

Description

A man who described himself as Cheshire’s very own Kardashian has been pleaded guilty to fraud and theft.

Jack Watkin, 26, formerly of Wilmslow Road, Alderley Edge funded his fantasy Instagram influencer lifestyle by defrauding businesses and individuals to a total value of more than £200,000.

Watkin appeared at Chester Crown Court on Tuesday 24 June where he pleaded guilty to eight counts of fraud by false representation.

He has been remanded in custody and is set to be sentenced for the fraud and indecent images offences on Wednesday 3 September at Chester Crown Court.

The court heard how Watkin used the lure of designer handbag brand Hermes as a ruse to trick people into giving him the money he needed to afford his extravagant lifestyle.

The sought-after handbags can’t be purchased over the counter. You must be invited to buy a Hermes handbag which makes it a lucrative investment as the resale value can be much higher than the original price.

The victims were told by Watkin that he had the contacts that could give them access to the handbags and that they could split the profits made on resale. They handed over their money in good faith, but when no bag or sign of any money from the investment opportunity arose, they would begin to ask for their money back, but he always had excuses.

He duped one woman into handing over thousands thinking she was investing in the much sought after luxury handbag when she was in fact paying his bills at the Dorchester Hotel in London.

She, like the others never received the handbags or their share in the profits of their resale.

The investigation was launched after the woman who inadvertently paid for his luxury hotel bill contacted the Metropolitan Police back in 2022 when she became suspicious of Watkin’s continued excuses.

The case was subsequently referred to Cheshire Constabulary’s Economic Crime Unit, who launched a full investigation.

Their enquiries unearthed a string of victims and a breath-taking amount of luxury goods, and hotel bills that Watkin's afforded by swindling his six victims.

During the investigation detectives also found indecent images on his mobile phone for which he was found guilty at a previous hearing for possession of indecent images, extreme pornography and prohibited images.

Description

William Woods was found guilty of 57 offences at Chester Crown Court on Tuesday 24  June, including inciting children under the age of 14 to commit an act of gross indecency, incite boys aged 13 to 15 to engage in sexual activity and attempted rape.

In addition, he was found not guilty of one count of sexual assault and one count of neglect.

The 67-year-old of Lawton Street, Congleton, has been remanded in custody and is to be sentenced for his crimes on Friday 15 August.

During the course of his eight-week trial, it was heard that between 1976 and 2006, Woods had sexually abused eight children across the Northwich and Crewe areas of Cheshire.

Woods was football coach over the course of his offending and used his connections with family friends to build a position of trust and influence over the children, isolating them from their loved ones before sexually abusing them.

Woods also encouraged the young people to abuse one another, bringing multiple children together at his home to act out his warped sexual fantasisies.

Alongside his campaign of sexual abuse against these children, Woods was also physically abusive, with the court hearing how he had locked one of his victims in a cupboard for a prolonged period and burnt them with cigarettes and a pan that was being used for cooking.

In 2018, officers from Cheshire Police were approached by one of Woods’ victims. Subsequent enquiries into this victim’s case resulted in officers uncovering seven more victims, all of whom had been sexually and physically abused by Woods between the late 1970s and early 2000s.

Woods was interviewed on several occasions throughout the entire investigation before being formally arrested in 2022, outright denying any abuse - going so far as to tell interviewing officers that he had never even met several of the victims and that the ones he had previously met were lying about being abused.

The 67-year-old would be charged with 59 offences in January 2024.

Police Constable Emma Hughes, who oversaw the investigation, said:

"While on the outside William Woods looked to be a respectable member of the community; a coach of the local youth football team who had a good relationship with the children of family friends, he is, in reality, a malignant and opportunistic sexual predator who has already served a six-year sentence for sexual offences against young people in his care prior to our investigation into him in 2018.

“Being taken on holidays and camping trips are meant to be experiences that children should look back on with positive memories, but instead, Woods used the trust instilled in him to abuse the young people in his care, isolate them from their families and force them to act out his warped sexual fantasies over a period of 30 years.

“Despite the overwhelming amount of evidence against him, Woods refused to accept any responsibility for his own horrific actions. However, their abuser has now, at long last, been served justice and I hope that today marks the end of a very turbulent chapter in their lives that will allow them to find some sense of closure and begin to heal.

"Today's result is the culmination of over seven years policework and working alongside Woods' eight victims in bringing almost three decades of horrific abuse to a conclusion.

“Coming forward to disclose offences of this nature takes a huge amount of bravery. So, I would like to take this opportunity to commend each of the victims in this case whose evidence was vital in helping us build a case against William Woods, as I know it will not have been easy for them or their families to process.

“I would like to stress that, as this case has shown today, we take all reports of historic sexual abuse extremely seriously and we thoroughly investigate every report we receive, placing the victim's needs at the heart of the case, regardless of how long ago the offence occurred.”

Description

A convicted sex offender who had already been jailed for two years after intimately touching a girl and taking explicit pictures of her has been told: "You remain a dangerous sexual offender."

Thomas Edeson had been locked up in 2021 because of his worrying sexual interest in young girls but he later breached a 10-year sexual harm prevention order and fell foul of the police again. He had previously kept images for his own sexual gratification. But he was eventually trapped after three years when internet crime investigators tracked him down after disturbing information came to light, Hull Crown Court heard.

Thomas Edeson, 26, of Franklin Street, Hull, admitted new offences of disclosing private photographs between January 1 and February 2 last year and breaching his sexual harm prevention order between June 1, 2023 and February 2 last year.

Michael Masson, prosecuting, said that Edeson had been jailed for two years and given the ten-year sexual harm prevention order in August 2021 for offences of sexually touching a young girl and two offences of making indecent images of her between May and August, 2018. He had been cleared at a trial earlier this year of more serious sexual offences.

Edeson posted sexualised images on the internet and when he was challenged about this, he said: "I don't need anybody's permission to post photos." He was in breach of the terms of the sexual harm prevention order by doing this.

"It was a deliberate breach," said Mr Masson. "The images were circulated widely and publicly." Edeson had deleted messages but this was in breach of the terms of the sexual harm prevention order concerning the retention of his internet history for police checking.

Judge Alexander Menary said: "It was a deliberate breach. It was something he knew he ought not to do." Edeson had said at the time: "I do what I want." Judge Menary told Edeson: "You remain a dangerous sexual offender."

Dale Brook, mitigating, said that Edeson admitted both of the new offences. During police interview, he admitted deleting messages and posting sexualised images. "That was wholly and utterly unacceptable behaviour," said Mr Brook.

Edeson had previously apologised for this. It had been a surprise that the sexual harm prevention order terms were wider than thought and included deleting messages rather than just relating to the use of internet browsers and the deletion of search histories.

"It's at the wider margins of what would be expected to be covered by that," said Mr Brook. An aggravating feature was Edeson's previous convictions.

Edeson had earlier spent 10 months and two days in custody on remand before bring given bail and put on a curfew. "He has done the equivalent of a two-year sentence," said Mr Brook. "He will have to engage with probation and be monitored by probation."

Edeson was given a nine-month suspended prison sentence. He will continue to be subject to the sexual harm prevention order and he will have to continue to register as a sex offender.

The previous hearing in August 2021 was told that the National Crime Agency received a tip-off in April of that year that a Google Photos user had uploaded four images taken by him of a young girl. The most serious picture showed sexual touching of her but the others were less graphic and involved moving her clothes to expose her.

Police investigated and found large amounts of electronic devices at his home as well as a large amount of unwashed children's underwear.

Messages had been sent to a woman and they involved sexual conversations about the girl.

There was the "strong inference" that it would be something to do with sex, the court heard that day.

Edeson admitted in a message in June 2021 that he had dreamed the previous night about having sex with the girl. There seemed to be plans in the pipeline to recruit the girl for further sexual activity, the court was told that day.

Edeson had, at the time, been having a sexual interest in pre-pubescent girls for some years. The girl was left confused, scared and worried by what happened.

Description

A sexual 'predator' used a mobile phone to taking intimate upskirting photos of unsuspecting women and girls in Norfolk pubs, a court has heard.

Andrew Bird also used a dog as a way to get pictures, either by taking them when he bent down to stroke the animals or when his victims did so.

Others were targeted in parks or even in homes where he managed to plant recording devices.

Norwich Crown Court was told the 55-year-old had photographed or videoed at 16 victims - none of who can be identified for legal reasons - over a five year period.

Samantha Lowther, prosecuting, said a number of victims were recorded at the White Horse, in Trowse, and the Black Swan, at Horsham St Faith.

She said Bird, a former Anglian Water engineer, would hold his phone under a table and angle it upwards as women came over to speak to him to capture images of their genitals, buttocks and underwear.

Other victims, including teenage girls, were targeted at various locations including Trowse Common, opposite the White Horse, with Bird taking photos up skirts or loose-fitting shorts.

Another child victim had videos of her taken by Bird while she was getting changed in her bedroom.

And on another occasion Bird planted a video in a caravan which was used to capture footage of a woman as she showered and dressed.

Miss Lowther said the images were discovered after police went to Bird's address in 2023 on an unrelated matter.

Officers found he had backed up images and videos taken on his phone to various hard drives and seized a number of devices.

Bird, formerly of Trowse but now of Scotch Hill, Taverham, appeared in court on Monday after admitting 41 offences.

He pleaded guilty to three counts of voyeurism, or observing a person doing a private act and 17 offences of upskirting or recording images under clothing to observe another without consent.

Bird also admitted 18 offences of attempted upskirting, or operating equipment under clothing of another without consent

He also admitted three offences of making indecent images of children.

Bird has also asked for 20 further offences - between 2018 and 2022 - to be taken into consideration, including six outraging public decency offences, seven attempted upskirting offences and seven upskirting offences.

Jailing Bird for 22 months, Judge Jeremy Donne said no female was "safe from you" with the victims in his offending "ranging from 12 to middle aged".
"You went nowhere without that mobile phone ready to take photographs," he said.

Judge Donne said Bird "knew what he was doing" as once he had recorded images on his mobile phone he downloaded them onto hard drives for his own sexual gratification before deleting them.

Before Bird was sentenced the court heard statements from some of the victims in the case who described the suffering the defendant had caused them.

An adult victim whose daughter was also a victim of Bird's said she had been "devastated" to find out what had happened.

She said her family and her children were her "world" and said it was "sickening" what happened. 

Another adult victim said Bird had "abused trust" and "stole innocence" as a result of which she now has to "look over my shoulder" when she goes out.

She said he had committed the offences in "the most devious, deceitful and calculated" way.

Another adult victim said what had happened to her would "be with me forever".

Another victim described how she feels "violated" and the crimes have had "consequences on every party of my life".

Another victim and the mother of another victim - who was 12 and 13 at the time - said she felt "sickened and violated" by what had happened as a result of the actions of this "predator".

Her daughter, now 15, said she had been "completely oblivious" to what was happening and was "shocked".

The husband and father of two victims said the offender had "destroyed lives" and said he had abused his liberty for his twisted and sickening pleasure".

Andrew Oliver, mitigating, said Bird was entitled to full credit for his guilty pleas.

He said he admitted to police there was "voyeuristic" material present on items seized and he was responsible for it. 

Mr Oliver accepted the impact on each victim had been "profound" and he had caused harm to the victims, their families and friends. 

He said Bird, a father of two, whose own daughter now does not speak to him, sold the family home and moved in with his mother.

He had reduced his alcohol intake and accepted he had sexual gratification from the offences. 

Bird was also made the subject of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) for 10 years and put on the sex offender's register, also for 10 years.

Description

A child rapist who bragged he was scarring his young victim for life while he abused them has been jailed for 15 years.

Stephen Fish, 28, had previously been warned about having sex with an underage girl before he groomed, abused and raped another child, Durham Crown Court heard.

Judge Nathan Adams said the abuse was "horrific" and made "particularly disturbing" by Fish's comments, which showed he knew "full well" the impact he was having on the victim.

Fish, from Grange Villa near Chester-le-Street, County Durham, had denied wrongdoing but was found guilty of seven sex offences against a child under the age of 13, including rape.

As he abused his victim, Fish, of West Street, told them he was scarring them for life, Judge Adams said.

In a statement read to the court, the victim said they had may have been "scarred for life" but they would "never be broken" by Fish.

They said they had daily flashbacks of the "nightmare" abuse and their life had been "irreparably changed", adding: "I will likely never be able to have a truly normal life."

But, they said, they got "solace" from Fish being convicted and jailed, adding he would be "unable to hurt any innocent children" again.

'Offender of particular concern'

Judge Adams told Fish: "It's horrific to read out and recite the abuse that took place because you still deny any of this took place."

He said the abuse would have a "lifelong" effect on the victim and Fish's comments were "particularly disturbing" as they showed he knew "full well" what he was doing would have an impact on the victim.

The judge said Fish had been "warned" before about abusing children, having got a caution for having sex with an underage teenage girl when he was 17.

Fish was deemed an "offender of particular concern" and must serve a further year on extended licence upon his release from prison.

He must also sign the sex offenders register for life.

Description

A man from Northwich has been found guilty of grooming and sexually abusing a young boy in the 1990s.

Trevor Leach was unanimously found guilty of 19 counts of gross indecency following a trial at Liverpool Crown Court.

The 65-year-old, of Verdin Avenue, Northwich, has been remanded in custody and will be sentenced on Friday 8 August.

The court heard Leach groomed and sexually abused the victim between 1992 and 1996, starting when the boy was just 12 years old.

The pair initially met while Leach was working at the former Elf garage, which was located opposite Hartford High School.

The victim recalled how Leach would regularly take him out in his car and back to his home, where he would sexually abuse him.

The victim initially chose not to report the incidents to police. However, in 2022 they had a chance encounter with Leach which triggered a number of memories and led them to report the allegations.

Following the reports an investigation was launched by detectives and Leach was questioned in relation to the allegations. Leach admitted that he knew the victim but denied any wrongdoing.

Despite his denial, he was later charged in relation to the allegations.

Description

A pervert who covertly recorded young girls getting undressed at a holiday park has been jailed. Mark Hansen targeted two victims at the Northumberland holiday centre, lurking outside in the dark and filming one unsuspecting girl through a gap in the curtains.

A court heard recordings of a number of girls were found on his phone when police seized it for downloading indecent images of children. Now Hansen, 45, of Denton Avenue, North Shields, who admitted voyeurism and indecent images offences, has been locked up at Newcastle Crown Court.

Police attended his home in September 2022 as a result of information received and seized his phone. On it, they found dozens of indecent images downloaded from the internet over a seven-year period, with the victims aged between four and early teens.

They also found Hansen had made recordings of several unsuspecting young girls. One victim was filmed with a hidden camera as she got undressed.

Another unidentified victim was filmed by Hansen at the Haven holiday park in Berwick. Prosecutor Kevin Wardlaw said: "He used the iPhone to covertly record an unidentified female aged between 12 and 14 while she was undressing. The recording was made from outside a window, through a gap in partially closed curtains. It is apparent she had no knowledge she was being observed or filmed.

"His phone contained another unidentified female in underwear. This film had been taken without her knowledge through a window and the relevant time stamps indicate the time when the defendant was staying at Haven Holiday Park. It is not possible to estimate the age of the child."The court heard another recording was taken of a child sitting on a bench at Flamingo Land. The victim's underwear was visible during the 2 minute and 18 seconds of film, due to the position he held the phone and him moving closer to her.Mr Wardlaw said other images were found on the phone, including four that had been taken through a window, of an unknown girl aged between 13 and 16, without her knowledge, while was partially undressed.

Hansen, 44, who has no previous convictions, pleaded guilty to three offences of making indecent images, two of taking indecent images of three of voyeurism. He was jailed for 18 months and told he must sign the sex offenders register and be subject to a sexual harm prevention order for ten years.

Judge Tim Gittins said: "These were images you took when you were roaming around Haven holiday park in Berwick, sneaking recordings in gaps in partly closed curtains and taking advantage of the darkness outside to take images of a girl while she was undressing."

Matthew Purves, defending, said: "This is a gentleman with no previous convictions or any interactions with the authorities. He acknowledges he has a difficulty with what he is attracted to and it's incredibly rare people will open up to that extent.

"The nature of these offences is inexcusable and he doesn't seek to excuse them in any way. He accepts that from viewing internet material his offending escalated.

"He acknowledges he has an undesirable attraction to children, recognising he has a sexual preoccupation and recognising he needs further support and assistance to avoid further offending."

Description

A Scots rapist ran off into the dark leaving his female victim "crying" from the depraved ordeal following a night at the pub.

On Friday, Kieran Cole, 20, was sentenced to four years behind bars after being convicted of rape last month. The horrific encounter took place in Bonnyrigg's Waverley Park after the Midlothian man spent the night with others at a nearby pub.

Cole, who was 18 at the time, raped his victim before running off into the dark as she was left crying. A nearby homeowner came to her aid and helped her home as Cole returned to a friend's house.

He then went home to his flat in Gorebridge in the company of another female as Lord Summers said Cole was "oblivious" to the gravity of his behaviour.

Following a trial, Cole was found guilty by a jury and a custodial sentence of four years was imposed.

He was also placed on the sex offender's register and given a non-harassment order for an indefinite period.

Lord Summers said: "Mr Goddard KC relied on evidence the jury heard at trial relating to the victim’s level of inebriation and capacity to consent.

"He submitted that evidence thar showed she could communicate with him and impart information relative to a number of matters was relevant to the level of sentence.

"I took the view that this information went to the question of consent and did not have any relevance to sentence save that it demonstrated that aggravating factors that might otherwise have been present were absent.

"After the rape Mr Cole ran off into the dark and left the victim alone in the Park. She was heard crying by a householder who came to her aid and assisted her home. I took the view that this conduct demonstrated a callous lack of concern for the victim.

"Mr Cole meanwhile returned to a friend’s house and in the company of another female returned to his flat in Gorebridge. His conduct showed he was oblivious to the gravity of his behaviour."

In mitigation Mr Goddward KC noted his client had no previous convictions as an extended sentence was not pronounced.

Description

Slawomir Klimek raped two women in Blackburn. Last week, he was jailed for 22 years.

On 29th November 2024, Klimek (pictured below)  approached a woman in her 30s on Throstle Street in Blackburn. He gripped hold of her coat and hit her in the face. He then held her by the throat, and raped her. As he left, he threatened the victim.

Exactly two weeks later, on 13th December, Klimek approached a second woman, hit her to the face, and raped her, leaving her in and out of consciousness as he continued to assault and rape her. The woman screamed for help and attempted to fight back.

An investigation was launched, after we received the report of the second incident on 13th December. During that investigation, we received the report of the offence from November.

Klimek was arrested, and following consultation with the Crown Prosecution Service, charged. Following a trial at Preston Crown court, he was found guilty of two counts of the rape of a woman and two counts of assault causing actual bodily harm.

Klimek, 33, of Ingleb Close, Blackburn was sentenced to 10 years for the first count, and 12 years for the second. These sentences will run consecutively, totalling to 22 years, and Klimek will be required to serve at least two thirds of that sentence.

Description

A "dangerous sexual predator" who "openly stated a preference for victims as young as eight" has been jailed.

David Mitchell thought he was messaging somebody else with a sexual interest in children but was in fact speaking to a police officer.

The 57-year-old, of Leyland, Lancashire, was then arrested at his house on 17 February.

He was jailed at Preston Crown Court for six years after admitting attempting to cause or incite a girl under 13 to engage in sexual activity and facilitating the sexual exploitation of a child under 13.

During the online exchanges, Mitchell told how he wanted to witness the abuse of a child in exchange for payment through gift cards, the North West Regional Organised Crime Unit said.

'Deeply disturbing'

Det Con Tris Farley said following Friday's sentencing: "This case demonstrates the commitment of our regional units to identifying and prosecuting individuals who pose a serious threat to children.

"Mitchell's messages exposed a deeply disturbing and calculated intent to exploit children.

"He openly stated a preference for victims as young as eight years old and provided explicit instructions for what he wanted to witness online.

"He is a dangerous sexual predator who now finds himself behind bars."

Description

A man from Calderdale who sexually abused three young girls has been jailed for almost 22 years.    

Malcolm Holland, aged 66, of Carlton Street, Halifax was charged with 14 counts of sexual offending against three young girls, the youngest was seven years of age.    

Holland was arrested in April 2021 after the first victim came forward to report the offending. 

Calderdale District Safeguarding Detectives then launched an investigation, and two further victims were identified as part of enquiries in Holland’s offending. 

All three girls were between the ages of 7 and 14 at the time of the abuse, which happened between 2002 and 2021.      

He was charged in November 2023 with 14 counts including indecent assault, six counts of sexual assault of a child under 13, five counts of causing or inciting a child under 13 to engage in sexual activity and two counts of attempting to commit rape.  

He appeared at Bradford Crown Court on Monday 9 June 2025 and following a seven-day trial was unanimously found guilty by a jury of all counts.    

Appearing before the court for sentencing on Friday 20th June, Holland was sentenced to 21 and a half years in prison, extended by two years on licence. He will also be ordered to sign the sex offenders register indefinitely and has a Sexual Harm Prevention Order which will also remain in place for the duration of his life.  

Description

A man who sexually abused a girl over a four-year period has been jailed for nine years.

Daniel Brundell, now of Lode Avenue Bungalows, Upwell, near Wisbech, was sentenced for sexual offences when he appeared at Lincoln Crown Court on Monday, 23 June. His victim was under 13 years of age when the offending began.

The 60-year-old pleaded guilty to five offences: sexual assault, two of inciting a girl under 13 to engage in sexual activity and two of inciting a girl between 13 and 15 to engage in sexual activity, when he appeared before court officials this morning.

Nine further charges, dating from 2014 to 2020 - including taking an indecent photograph of a child - were ordered to lie on file.

He was also given a Sexual Harm Prevention Order and a restraining order.

Detective Constable Charlie Walmsley said: “This sentencing reflects the serious and devastating impact these offences have on the lives of victims and their families.

“I want to commend the incredible bravery of the victim and the support from their family throughout the investigation.

“The victim has shown remarkable courage.

“We are committed to ensuring that those who commit such abhorrent crimes are held accountable, and we hope that this outcome provides some sense of justice and closure.

“Protecting the most vulnerable in our communities will always remain our highest priority.”

Description

A "sadistic" sex offender who was found guilty of a number of child sex offences, including rape, has been locked up.

Connor Laud, 27, of Hull, was convicted by a jury of the rape of a child under 13 and two counts of inciting a child under 13 to engage in sexual activity following a trial at Grimsby Crown Court last month.

At a sentencing hearing on Thursday, June 19, Laud was jailed for 16 years and was placed on the sex offenders register for life with a lifetime sexual harm prevention order.

He came to the attention of officers after Humberside Police received a report that a child had disclosed the nature of the sexual abuse they had been subjected to.

Arrested and interviewed by detectives, Laud denied all allegations of abuse put to him, claiming the child must have become confused. He also denied having a sexual interest in children.

However a jury returned guilty verdicts following a four-day trial in May.

Leading the investigation, Detective Constable Gayle Allwood said: “I’d like to praise the child, and their family for their bravery, I cannot begin to comprehend how they have felt throughout the entirety of this investigation.

“Laud is a perverted and sadistic man and, whilst this sentence does not take away the pain and trauma induced, it is because of the family's sheer courage that he is going to be behind bars for a very long time.

“When ready, we urge victims to come forward and tell someone, report these crimes to the police and we will do everything we can to hold those accountable.”

Description

THIS ‘committed paedophile’ has been jailed after he was caught with “the vilest possible” child sex abuse images on his phone.

Emyr Edwards, 36, from Gorslas, appeared at Swansea Crown Court having been accused of making and distributing pictures and videos of child sexual abuse.

He was jailed for two years and four months after Judge Paul Thomas KC dismissed Edwards’ account and his claim that he did not have a sexual interest in children.

“In many years of hearing and sitting in crown courts, I have never listened to a more hopeless, wholly unconvincing account,” he said.

“Your account made no sense whatsoever.

“You are a committed paedophile.”

Edwards pleaded guilty to distributing a Category A indecent image, as well as making Category A, B, and C indecent images, but entered a basis of plea which was not accepted by the prosecution.

This basis was dismissed at a Newton Hearing, and Edwards was ordered to return to court to be sentenced.

Edwards was caught in possession of one Category A image – the most serious type, two Category B images, and one Category C image between June 2022 and April 2023.

Prosecutor Sian Cutter said there was evidence Edwards had made “deliberate searches” for serious images of abuse, and bragged that he was part of a network which shared indecent material.

He was also accused of distributing a Category A video to three people. The court heard that Edwards was caught after one of those people reported him to the police.

Judge Thomas said the images Edwards had and shared were “of the vilest possible kind”.

“Young boys being effectively raped somewhere in the world so that people like you could masturbate over them,” said the judge.

“The material that you distributed, you clearly gained sexual enjoyment from.”

“Nothing I could say about the offence itself could assist,” conceded James Hartson, appearing for Edwards.

He said the defendant had been subject to unrelated allegations – for which he was acquitted of – and had been under “stress” during that period.

He added the messages about the ‘network’ Edwards said he was involved with were perhaps examples of “braggadocio”.

Mr Hartson added that Edwards, of Penygroes Road, was previously of clean character, and there had been a delay of two years in the case coming to court.

Edwards was jailed for 28 months. He must register as a sex offender for 10 years, and was made the subject of a sexual harm prevention order for the same period.