ABERDARE PAEDOPHILE CERI JOHN REES JAILED FOR BREAKING CHILD BAN IN LOWER CWMTWRCH AND ABERDARE

In a case that has sent shockwaves through the communities of Aberdare and the surrounding Swansea Valley, Ceri John Rees, a man with a disturbing history of sexual offenses, has been sentenced to prison for violating a strict legal order designed to protect children. Rees, aged 35 and formerly a church leader in the village of Lower Cwmtwrch, was found guilty of breaching a ten-year ban on being in the company of minors, after he took up work as a DJ under the alias DJ Phoenix, despite his known status as a convicted sex offender.

Rees’s criminal past is deeply troubling. He previously served four years in prison following a series of sexual assaults on a minor at the Lower Cwmtwrch Mission Church, located within the Swansea Valley. His crimes included seducing a 15-year-old girl by misquoting the Bible, claiming it was “perfectly normal to have a union of the flesh on a physical level,” a statement that underscores the manipulative and predatory nature of his actions. In 2009, Rees pleaded guilty to 14 charges related to sexual activity with a child, which led to his incarceration.

Following his release from prison in 2012, Rees was subject to a Sexual Offences Prevention Order (SOPO), which explicitly prohibited him from participating in any social group, event, or youth club involving children under the age of 16 for a period of ten years. Despite this, he sought employment with an events company, adopting the stage name DJ Phoenix, and was subsequently booked for various family and charity events across the region. His activities raised serious concerns among authorities and the community, given his criminal background and the restrictions placed upon him.

Rees’s recent conviction stems from his blatant disregard for the court’s orders. He was caught working as a DJ at events in Aberdare and the Swansea Valley, where he openly mingled with children while dressed in a colorful costume, portraying himself as a singer and entertainer. His presence at these events was a clear violation of the SOPO, which led to his arrest and subsequent guilty plea to three counts of breaching the order. The court sentenced him to two years in prison for these violations.

The case of Ceri John Rees highlights ongoing concerns about the effectiveness of monitoring and enforcement of restrictions placed on convicted sex offenders. It also underscores the importance of community vigilance and the role of organizations like the UK Database, a whistleblowing group that advocates for more rigorous police and probation oversight. This organization allows parents, teachers, and community members to report known offenders who attempt to work with children, aiming to prevent further harm.

Rees’s history is marked by disturbing incidents, including a 2010 case where he was accused of quoting Bible verses during sexual acts with a 15-year-old girl in a church back room. During this period, he also tied the girl up, filmed, and took hundreds of photographs of himself abusing her over an eight-month span before being discovered. Court proceedings revealed that Rees, then living in Spencer Terrace, Ystradgynlais, had even used religious references during the abuse, further demonstrating his manipulative tactics.

His depravity extended to having sex with the girl in various locations, including his home and car, and secretly purchasing sex toys to use on her during a family shopping trip to Sheffield. The court heard how he began sending suggestive texts to the girl when she was just 14, persuading her to engage in non-penetrative sex within weeks. By the time she turned 15, Rees had seduced her into full intercourse, insisting she dispose of used condoms far from the church to avoid detection. After his arrest, Rees claimed that his initial relationship with the girl was “lust, nothing more, nothing less.”

Judge Christopher Vosper QC described Rees as a significant danger to teenage girls and sentenced him to four years in prison. Additionally, he ordered that Rees’s name be added to the sex offenders register and banned him from working with children under 16 for ten years. This case serves as a stark reminder of the ongoing risks posed by individuals with a history of sexual offenses, especially when they attempt to re-enter environments involving children, despite legal restrictions and community safeguards.