Benjamin Rodgers 32

Description

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.