MAN JAILED FOR SEXUALLY ABUSING BOY, 14
A Cardiff charity cafe owner has been sentenced to eight years in prison for sexually assaulting a teenage boy.Andrew Mackenzie, aged 55, was convicted of four counts of sexual activity involving a 14-year-old boy during two separate encounters in May 2021.
A victim statement, presented at Cardiff Crown Court on the young man’s behalf, detailed his diagnosis of childhood post-traumatic stress disorder linked to the abuse.
He reported ongoing night terrors, damaged familial relations, and cannabis use as methods of coping.
The victim acknowledged his initial ignorance of the seriousness of the events but now fully understands their impact.
The assaults happened in a small cabin behind Coffee and Cakes, a charity coffee shop owned by Mackenzie.
The shop’s profits supported Poor and Hungry, a community interest company founded by Mackenzie to help vulnerable youth and supply meals to those in need.
Mackenzie claimed to have turned over a new leaf and found faith after a life of crime, including lengthy jail terms for fraud and drug offenses.
He was known to bring men he paid for sex to the back of his premises.
Through one of these individuals, he came into contact with the boy.
Judge Shoman Khan addressed Mackenzie’s attitude, criticising his disrespect towards those he engaged with sexually, highlighting that his focus was solely on himself.
The judge expressed certainty that Mackenzie knew the boy was only 14 at the time and suggested he was grooming the youth.
While Mackenzie insisted he was innocent, he offered a mouthed apology to the boy’s family as authorities took him away following sentencing.
He received an eight-year sentence, with half to be served in custody before possible release on license.
Additionally, he will be subject to a lifelong sexual harm prevention order and prohibited from electronically communicating with anyone under 18.
