Category Archives: Dyfed – Powys

Roger Percival – Howey

06 Tuesday Jul 2021

Posted by in Dyfed - Powys

≈ Comments Off on Roger Percival – Howey

Llandrindod man had child abuse images and bestiality images

A Powys man has avoided an immediate jail sentence after admitting possessing dozens of prohibited images of children.

Roger Percival, from Howey, near Llandrindod Wells, received a 12-month prison term at Merthyr Tydfil Crown Court on Friday (June 18), which was suspended for two years.

As well as being found in possession of two Category A images – the most serious involving children – five Category B images and 45 Category C images, the 40-year-old also had nine extreme and prohibited images portraying a sexual act with a horse.

Percival, of Mill View Close, Howey, pleaded guilty to a total of five offences – three of possessing indecent images of children, one of having a prohibited image of a child, and one of possessing explicit images involving animals – at an earlier hearing in April

Prosecutor Craig Jones said the offences came to light when police visited the defendant’s home on April 21 last year, after a tip from a woman to whom Percival had shown a DVD.

“On that recording she saw a female, who she perceived to be a young girl, approximately 10 years old, who was being raped by an older, adult male,” said Mr Jones.

“She asked him to turn it off, which he did. He told her it was an illegal DVD.

“As a consequence of the information she provided, officers attended his address and executed a search warrant there. A large number of computer devices were seized. They ranged from media storage devices to laptops, computer towers, tablet computers and mobile telephones.

“Within the property, although not illegal, there was what appeared to be a large number of homemade DVDs of a sexual nature, together with a video production suite.

“In addition to the images found, there were a number of website searches that were identified, including ‘Lolita pre-teens’, ‘little models’ and ‘young porn’, which demonstrate a clear interest in material of this nature.”

Mr Jones said Percival had previous convictions, including a 2018 offence relating to indecent material, for which he served a short prison term. He asked for the forfeiture and destruction of relevant exhibits.

Judge Twomlow suspended the sentence for two years and told Percival that within the next two years he must complete the Horizon programme and a 20-day rehabilitation activity requirement as directed by the probation service. He is barred from regulated activity with children.

Judge Twomlow also made a sexual harm prevention order, of which Percival will be the subject for 10 years. This prohibits him from certain conduct, in particular relating to computers and communicating with any child under 18 on social networking websites.

He was warned that any breach of it is punishable by a prison term of five years.

Darrell Swain – Ystradgynlais

28 Wednesday Apr 2021

Posted by in Dyfed - Powys, Hunting Team

≈ Comments Off on Darrell Swain – Ystradgynlais

May 2021

Man avoids jail after Newtown paedophile hunters meeting

A pervert has avoided jail after getting involved in sexual conversations with what he thought was a 14-year-old – who turned out to be a paedophile hunters’ group.

Darrell Swain was caught when he travelled to Newtown to meet who he thought was a 21-year-old woman at a garage – but this too turned out to be a decoy account.

The 55-year-old appeared at Caernarfon Crown Court on Tuesday for sentencing having previously admitted one offence of attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child.

Anna Pope, prosecuting, told the court a member of a paedophile hunter group had created a profile on a social media site for single people, purporting to be a 14-year-old girl.

In May last year, Swain contacted the ‘girl’ and they began chatting.

He told her he was 53 and she told him she was 14.

As the conversations continued, Swain told her: “I wish we could meet,” offering to take a train so he could “chill” with her.

After that he asked if she wanted to be his girlfriend, and then made increasingly graphic suggestions and requests – including the exchange of sexual images and listing the acts he wished to carry out.

Swain, of Ael y Bryn in Ystradgynlais, was apprehended by the group after he went to the garage near Newtown.

The police were called and officers were handed the materials the group had gathered on Swain, following which he was arrested.

In interview, he told officers he’d made contact with the ‘girl’ and carried on talking to her after learning she was 14 because he “thought she might need someone to talk to” during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Judge handed Swain a 30-week custodial sentence, but suspended it after concluding the prospect of rehabilitation outweighed the need for immediate custody.

The sentence was suspended for 18 months.

Swain was ordered to undertake 25 days of rehabilitation activity and 12 months of alcohol treatment, as well as an eight week electronically monitored curfew.

He was also made the subject of a 10-year sexual harm prevention order.

Powys man confronted by paedophile hunters in Newtown

A member of a paedophile hunters’ group posed as a fictitious teenage girl to ensnare a Powys man.

Darrell Swain was confronted by members of the group in Newtown in June last year and was subsequently arrested by police.

The 54-year-old had travelled from his home in Ystradgynlais to Montgomeryshire to meet who he believed to be the 14-year-old girl he had been messaging between May 19 and June 1, 2020.

Appearing at Welshpool Magistrates Court on Tuesday, April 27, Swain, of Ael-y-Bryn, Ystradgynlais, admitted a charge of attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child. Magistrates declined jurisdiction in the case and committed Swain to Mold Crown Court for sentence next month.

Prosecutor Helen Tench said a female member of the paedophile hunters’ group engaged in conversation with the defendant.

“Contact was made between the defendant and a 14-year-old fictitious person; he engaged with her in chat and asked her if she had a boyfriend,” said Mrs Tench

“In the following days he told her he wished that she was his girlfriend, he wished they could kiss and cuddle and he wished they were having sex.”

Mrs Tench said Swain continued to send sexually explicit messages to the female, offering to send her pictures and asking for pictures from her.

“The woman arranged with others to confront the defendant and arrangements were made to meet him,” she added.

“At that meeting members of the hunter group confronted the defendant and the police were called and he was arrested.”

Craig Hardin, defending, made no submission on behalf of his client.

Magistrates committed the case to Mold for sentence, with Swain due to appear there on May 18. They said he must report to police in Brecon within three days.

Robert Adams – Builth Wells

18 Sunday Apr 2021

Posted by in Dyfed - Powys

≈ Comments Off on Robert Adams – Builth Wells

April 2021

Builth Wells man admits having indecent images of children

A Powys man will be sentenced in the crown court later this month after admitting a string of possessing indecent images of children offences.

Robert Adams, 43, of Tan-y-Castell, Builth Wells, pleaded guilty to all seven charges he faced at Llandrindod Wells Magistrates Court on Wednesday, April 14.

Three charges related to possessing indecent images of children, including 112 images in the most serious Category A, 62 Category B images and 234 Category C images.

Additionally, Adams admitted two counts of distributing one Category A and one Category C image to another person.

The other two charges related to possessing over 1,000 images of bestiality and another of possessing five extreme pornographic images portraying an act which threatened life. All offences date between June 3 and July 8, 2020.

Adams will appear at Merthyr Tydfil Crown Court on April 28 for sentencing.

He was made the subject of a Sex Offender Notification Requirement (SONR) and must report to police within three days.

Karl Francis – Llandrindod Wells

06 Saturday Mar 2021

Posted by in Dyfed - Powys

≈ Comments Off on Karl Francis – Llandrindod Wells

March 2021

Llandrindod Wells sex offender breached court order

Magistrates have fined a sex offender for failing to comply with the requirements of his court order.

As part of Karl Francis signing onto the sex offender’s register in 2016 he must notify police of any change of address for a seven-year period.

In September last year the 23-year-old notified Dyfed Powys Police that he was staying in the Park Crescent area of Llandrindod Wells.

But when they had cause to speak to Francis on November 14 regarding another matter he gave Christchurch as his new address, saying he’d moved there five days earlier.

He hadn’t informed police of this change of address, prosecutor Stephen Davies told Llandrindod Wells Magistrates Court on Wednesday, March 3. Francis pleaded guilty to breaching his notification order.

Gareth Walters, defending Francis, who gave a care of address of High Street, Seven Sisters, Neath, said his life had been in “disarray” at the time of the offence.

“He was living in a tent in Llandrindod Wells,” said Mr Walters.

“He hadn’t notified police when he should have. He is currently of no fixed abode but he is complying with the order.”

Mr Walters added that his client is currently the subject of a suspended prison sentence issued by Merthyr Tydfil Magistrates Court, which post-dates this offence.

He said the suspended sentence covers four previous breaches as well as a charge of possessing a bladed article.

Probation officer Donna Davies told the court Francis was currently sleeping rough after he was evicted from a premises providing emergency housing in Hereford due to anti-social behaviour.

Magistrates warned Francis that if he committed another breach, the prison sentence would likely be activated.

They fined him £80 fine and he must pay a £34 surcharge as well as £85 costs.

Scott Bennett – Talgarth

24 Wednesday Feb 2021

Posted by in Dyfed - Powys

≈ Comments Off on Scott Bennett – Talgarth

February 2021

Jealous boyfriend strangled partner and screwed front door shut to stop her escaping

A jealous boyfriend pulled his former partner around by the hair and strangled her before barricading her inside her own flat.

Scott Bennett developed a pattern of controlling and coercive behaviour towards his former partner over a “short-lived” five-week relationship in 2020, a sentencing hearing at Cardiff Crown Court heard on Monday.

The 26-year-old would “supervise” his former partner as she used the toilet to make sure she didn’t contact any other men and accused her of having an affair with her neighbour.

Matters came to a head after Bennett assaulted her following one accusation of cheating by grabbing her by the hair and “pulling her around” her flat. He then strangled her with one hand before screwing the front door shut to prevent her making an escape.

The court also heard Bennett broke another woman’s arm by twisting it “all the way round” three months beforehand.

Prosecutor David Pinnell said Bennett and his first victim had a 12-month relationship which ended following an incident at her address in Pontnewydd, Cwmbran , on May 7, 2020.

Mr Pinnell said the woman had just ended a phone call with her grandmother seeking reassurance and support regarding her mental health.

“When that conversation concluded this defendant became aggressive towards the complainant, shouting at her,” he said.

“It seems that that really was the point the complainant thought enough was enough and decided to end the relationship.

“His response was to grab her by her left arm and started to twist it in her words ‘all the way round’.”

Mr Pinnell said she was “screaming in pain as it was taking place” and told him to stop as she feared he would break her arm.

She estimated that the incident lasted 30 to 40 seconds and culminated in her hearing a loud “cracking noise”.

His victim was crying in pain for the next several hours, Mr Pinnell said, and at some point later called her grandmother claiming she had slipped in the bath.

Her mother came to take her to the Royal Gwent Hospital and while in the car with her admitted what had happened.

Doctors in the hospital established she had fractured two bones in her left wrist necessitating the wearing of a cast for about six weeks.

Bennett was arrested by officers from Dyfed-Powys Police in Brecon and was interviewed.

He told police he had never been abusive towards his partner but claimed she had been violent towards him during what he described as a “volatile on-and-off relationship”.

Mr Pinnell said the second incident occurred during Bennett’s “short-lived” relationship with another woman over a period of about five weeks between August 28 and September 25, 2020.

The court heard Bennett, who was on tagged curfew in relation to the first victim’s allegations, moved in with the woman and had his supervised address details changed to her address.

“He had displayed behaviour from the end of August and throughout September which she considered were displays of paranoia on his part,” she said.

Mr Pinnell said Bennett would “object to her going to the bathroom” in case she was “preparing herself to go out with other males”.

Bennett also accused her of having an affair with a neighbour, became jealous if she had contact with or looked at another male, and wanted her to get rid of her mobile phone.

“He would even supervise her when she went to the toilet to make sure she was not making contact with other male persons, seeming to suggest she would do so from the window of the bathroom if the door was closed,” he said.

Bennett was also violent towards the woman, throwing a cannabis grinder at her on one occasion.

“He would, for example, pick her up and throw her to the floor, pull her by the hair, and often throw other items at her,” Mr Pinnell said.

The prosecutor said matters came to a head on September 24 when he woke her up and accused her of having an affair before assaulting her “several times” by grabbing her by the hair and “pulling her around”.

“He pushed her onto the sofa and tried to bite and kick her and grabbed her to the waist resulting in bruising to her body,” he said.

Later on she discovered Bennett had “screwed the front door shut” to prevent her from leaving and raising the alarm.

After he did that he slit his wrist with a piece of glass and refused medical attention which she was “desperate” for him to obtain. He also strangled her with his left hand against her throat.

“She thought he had the capability and intention to cause her real harm or even worse,” Mr Pinnell said.

Bennett, of Beacons View, Talgarth, Powys, pleaded guilty to one count of malicious wounding and another of coercive and controlling behaviour in respect of the incidents.

Judge David Wynn Morgan said: “I’m relieved to hear that you have acknowledged that you have a significant problem which obviously affects yourself but plainly affects what happens when you form a relationship with a female in the future.”

Bennett was sentenced to 12 months in prison for the malicious wounding offence and four months for the offence of coercive and controlling behaviour. The sentences are to run consecutively for a total of 16 months in prison.

He was also made the subject of a restraining order in respect of each complainant which are to run for five years. Bennett must also pay a victim surcharge of £156.