Locations
Heol Marlais, Tir-y-Dail, Ammanford, Carmarthenshire, SA18
Description
A man with a sexual attraction to young adolescent males followed boys and bought them vapes before touching them.
Stephen Cannon is a registered sex offender having previously been convicted of trying to rape a 15-year-old boy and then sexually grooming a vulnerable teenager he'd met on a football fans Facebook page.
A judge at Swansea Crown Court said it was clear from a detailed pre-sentence report that Cannon poses a high risk of causing serious harm to adolescent boys and that the risk is "almost impossible to manage in the community". He handed the 37-year-old defendant an extended sentence.
The court heard that Cannon followed two 13-year-old boys in Ammanford, bought them vapes, and then sexually touched them over their clothing. Statements read to the court by prosecution barrister Ian Wright set out the impact of the offending on the boys who had been left scared, worried, and fearful of encountering the defendant again.
At the time of the Ammanford offending Cannon was subject to a sexual offences prevention order which had been imposed at Ayr Sheriff Court in Scotland February 2020 and which was designed to control his contact with children.
The order was imposed after Cannon was convicted of grooming an 18-year-old male with learning difficulties and a functional mental age of around 12 or 13 who he had met through a Facebook football fan page. Using a false name to hide the fact he had a previous conviction for attempting to rape a teenage boy Cannon groomed his vulnerable victim online and then kissed and touched him after luring him back to his home in a so-called "catfish" incident.
Stephen Cannon, of Heol Marlais, Tir-y-Dail, Ammanford, Carmarthenshire, had previously been convicted at trial of three counts of sexual assault and two counts of breaching a sexual harm prevention order when he appeared in the dock for sentencing. For all the latest court stories sign up to our crime newsletter.
Hannah George, for Cannon, said the defendant had spent 158 days on remand in prison and had used his time productively by acting as a mentor to other inmates and undertaking educational courses "to better himself for the future".
Judge Huw Rees said it was clear Cannon had a long-standing sexual interest in young adolescent males and that until he accepted that fact and took steps to deal with it he would continue to pose a risk. He said a detailed pre-sentence report had concluded the defendant poses a high risk of serious harm to male adolescent children and that the risk he poses is "almost impossible to manage in the community".
Cannon was made the subject of a six-year extended sentence comprising three years in custody followed a three-year extended licence period. He will be eligible for release after serving two-thirds of the custodial element of the sentence but it will be for the Parole Board to determine if he is safe to be released.
Cannon will be a registered sex offender for the rest of his life and the court heard that a 10-year sexual harm prevention order had been made on application to Carmarthenshire Magistrates' Court in March this as the sexual harm prevention order he was subject to was expiring.