Sean Golder 55

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POLICE have released the mugshot of an army veteran who asked who he thought was a 14-year-old boy to carry out sex acts in the back of his van in a supermarket car park.

Sean Golder, formerly of the Royal Engineers, was arrested in the car park of Morrisons in Carmarthen on March 10 after arranging to meet the ‘boy’ – who was actually an undercover police officer.

Golder was jailed for a total of 19 months in prison for attempting to meet a child after grooming and attempted sexual communication with a child.

Swansea Crown Court heard that Golder began messaging the ‘boy’ on social media on March 8, saying he was on his way to Carmarthen and was “looking for fun”.  

The profile said the ‘boy’ was 19, but in their first message he said was 14 – asking if that was too young, prosecutor Ieuan Rees said.

Golder replied: “Lol where are you? Are you looking for fun?”, adding “We could have fun in my van”.

The pair exchanged numbers and moved the conversation on to WhatsApp.

Golder asked the ‘boy’ for a photograph, and when the officer sent one, replied: “Wow is that really you?  I need you to run here now”.

“It is plainly very obviously a picture of a young boy, I would say no older than 14,” said Recorder Simon Mills. “The very idea that he thought the person was an adult is simply ludicrous.”

The defendant also spoke about them touching each other in the back of his van, and suggested “getting undressed” and video calling, Mr Rees said.

Golder suggested meeting the ‘boy’ at his home, but the officer replied it would be “too risky”. Instead, it was agreed they would meet in the Morrisons car park in Carmarthen on March 10.

Ahead of the meeting, Golder asked: “Do you want me to touch you, w*** you, and suck you?”.

When Golder arrived at the store, he was arrested by police.

Golder had also taken ‘poppers’ – or alkyl nitrites – to the attempted meeting, and told the ‘boy’ the drugs would “turn him in to a s***”.

Golder, 55, formerly of The Pound in Pembroke Dock and now of Cosheston, has no previous convictions.

Helen Randall, defending, said that Golder had left school at 16 and joined the army. He was in the army for 23 years and served in Germany, Northern Ireland, Bosnia, Iraq and Afghanistan.

Ms Randall said Golder had made use of his time in custody by completing English and maths qualifications and by taking up jobs.

She said the defendant “has been punished to a high level already by the time he’s served waiting for today’s sentence”.

Dyfed-Powys Police worked alongside officers from Tarian Regional Organised Crime Unit (ROCU) in taking down Golder.

As well as his prison sentence, Golder must now register as a sex offender for 10 years, and was made the subject of a sexual harm prevention order for the same period of time.