Locations
Cyfyng Road, Ystalyfera, Swansea, SA9
Description
A PAEDOPHILE exposed himself to children in shops as part of a “warped” sexual game in which he used cards and a dice to pursue young girls with the intent of sexually abusing them.
Prosecutor Hannah George told Swansea Crown Court that 60-year-old Steven Loveridge was “a determined paedophile who has an entrenched sexual interest in children”.
On November 28 last year, Loveridge exposed his penis to a nine-year-old girl who was waiting for her mother outside the toilets at Asda in Ystalyfera.
She covered her eyes and reported the incident to her mum. This was then reported to staff and the police.
At around 3.30pm on December 8, two girls visited Home Bargains in Ystradgynlais. The defendant stood behind them and said ‘Hiya girls’. They moved as they felt “uncomfortable”, but Loveridge followed them.
Loveridge then exposed his penis and said ‘Do you want to stroke my cock?’.
The girls ran away and reported the incident to staff, and this was then reported to the police.
Loveridge was arrested walking from Ystalyfera to Ystradgynlais, and he was found with dice and coloured cards which included actions such as ‘Follow 15’, ‘Pursue 10’, ‘Stop pursuing’, ‘Girl incoming’, and ‘Hostage’.
Police recovered six laptops, tablets, computers, a video recorder, and SD cards from his home.
On these, officers found 82 Category A – the most serious – indecent images, 64 Category B images, and 323 Category C images dating back to July 2007. These included 48 Category A, 26 Category B, and 69 Category C videos.
He had also searched for the age of consent in the UK and primary school lunch and break times.
The officers also found notes and maps detailing children, their schools, their ages, and the routes they would take. He also marked out cycle routes, houses with children’s toys outside, and “escape routes” on the maps, as well as labelling a group of remote outbuildings with the word ‘hostage’.
Ms George said the defendant used the map, cards, and dice as part of a “warped” sexual game he created to target children and commit sexual offences.
Amongst the notes, he referred to some children as being “in their prime”, and police also found voice recordings including one that detailed his offending in Home Bargains in which he said “I felt like it was going to work”.
He also gave files names including ‘Operation Salad Cream’ - which detailed the movements of children and how he watched them playing hockey – and ‘Home Bargains Make It Happen’.
Loveridge, of Cyfyng Road in Ystalyfera, pleaded guilty to two offences of exposure, two offences of inciting a child to engage in sexual activity, and three charges of possessing indecent images of children.
Mr Roberts, appearing for the defendant, described this as “a worrying case”.
“There’s really no mitigation coming from the facts of the case,” he said.
“His behaviour was driven by a devious sexual interest in children.”
He added the offences were committed “at a time he had some difficulties in his life” which led to his “inhibitors [being] completely absent”.
Judge Catherine Richards sentenced Loveridge to a total of six years and seven months in custody, with a further six years extended licence period.
He must register as a sex offender for life, and the judge imposed 15-year restraining orders.
Judge Richards commended the police investigation which uncovered the scale of Loveridge’s offending.