GARETH BATEMAN FROM CONNAH'S QUAY JAILED FOR CHILD SEXUAL CHAT OFFENSES IN DEESIDE

In December 2022, a man from Connah's Quay, Gareth Bateman, aged 52, was sentenced to prison for attempting to engage in sexual conversations with a minor online. The incident took place in Deeside, where Bateman's actions led to serious legal consequences.

Bateman appeared at Mold Crown Court via video link from HMP Berwyn on Thursday, December 8, to face charges related to his online conduct. The case stemmed from an earlier hearing at Preston Crown Court on November 11, where he pleaded guilty to three counts of attempting to breach a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) and attempting to communicate sexually with a child.

Prosecutor Rosemary Proctor provided details of the offences during the sentencing hearing. She explained that the offences occurred on October 24 of the same year. Bateman had previously been subject to a five-year SHPO, which explicitly prohibited him from engaging in any form of communication with children under the age of 16. Despite this, he continued to pursue inappropriate conversations.

On the day in question, Bateman was using the online chat platform 'Chat IW' under the username 'Gaz.' During his session, he initiated contact with a user named 'Wee Ebs,' who initially claimed to be 18 years old. However, the user later revealed that she was only 13, a fact that Bateman was aware of but chose to ignore.

Despite knowing her true age, Bateman persisted in the conversation, which eventually moved to another messaging app called 'Kik.' This platform allows users to delete messages, including pictures and videos, which Bateman used to his advantage. His actions directly contravened the restrictions imposed by his SHPO.

Throughout their exchanges, Bateman asked for explicit pictures and videos and attempted to persuade what he believed was a 13-year-old girl to engage in video chats. During the conversation, he made inappropriate comments, including saying, 'I bet you have a nice body too.'

Unbeknownst to Bateman, 'Wee Ebs' was actually an undercover police officer. The police investigation led to a search of his home in Connah's Quay, where evidence of his online activities was uncovered.

As a result of his actions, Bateman was sentenced to 21 months in prison for attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child. He did not face additional penalties for breaching the SHPO, but he was subjected to a new SHPO order that will last for ten years. Furthermore, he will remain on the sex offenders register for a decade, and the phone used in the offending was confiscated.

This case highlights the ongoing efforts of law enforcement to combat online child exploitation and the importance of strict legal measures to protect minors from predatory behavior in digital spaces.