Locations
Commercial Street, Maesteg, Bridgend, CF34
Description
A 34-year-old man, Thomas Treharne, sent a video of his penis to a 16-year-old girl via Snapchat, leaving her "frightened" and leading to self-harm. The victim said she began using cannabis "to forget the images she'd seen" and "to cocoon up and try [her] best to forget what happened."
The pair met, formed a friendship, and connected on Facebook before moving to Snapchat. Initial messages were "innocent," but Treharne soon sent inappropriate requests, asking her to "bend over" and "get her breasts out." He then sent a photo of himself performing a sex act over clothing, followed by the explicit video.
In her victim impact statement, she described suffering "stress and anxiety," feeling "frightened," tensing up at his name, fearing stalking, insomnia, and self-harm. She added: "I think of him and it upsets me... Thoughts of the defendant impact my mental health... I feel like I have changed."
At Cardiff Magistrates' Court, Treharne, of Commercial Road, Maesteg, Bridgend, pleaded guilty to sending a photograph or film of genitals to cause alarm, distress, or humiliation. He had no prior convictions.
In mitigation, the court heard of his poor mental health, lack of social skills, weight struggles, "plagued by isolation and loneliness" since teenage bullying, anxiety, depression, his mother's 2023 death from a heart attack, gambling addiction, and ongoing debts.
He received an 18-week suspended sentence for 18 months, a 25-day rehabilitation requirement, £250 compensation, seven-year sex offender notification, and a Sexual Harm Prevention Order.