JONATHON TREHARNE FROM LLANELLI BREAKS SEX OFFENCES ORDER IN LLANELLI

In December 2012, Jonathon Treharne, a man with a troubling criminal history, was found to have violated the strict conditions of his sexual offences order by repeatedly staying overnight at the residence of a woman he met through an online dating platform. This breach occurred despite the clear restrictions placed upon him following his previous convictions.

Treharne’s criminal record is marked by a serious incident in April 2009, when he was sentenced to 12 months in prison after admitting to taking inappropriate photographs of two young girls inside a supermarket. The incident involved him leaning over a changing room cubicle to capture images of the girls, an act that was confronted by the girls’ mother. Treharne claimed he had deleted the images, but subsequent police searches of his computer revealed a series of indecent images of children, leading to his conviction on 16 counts of possessing such material.

He was released from prison in November 2009, and less than a year later, in October 2010, he entered into a relationship with a mother of two living in Llanelli. Over the course of that year, Treharne stayed at her home a total of 37 times, a clear violation of the terms of his release, which permitted him to stay at a non-family residence only seven times annually. This breach was brought to light during the court proceedings.

Prosecutor John Lloyd, representing the Crown at Swansea Crown Court, explained that Treharne, residing on New Dock Road in Llanelli, and the woman, whose identity remains confidential, maintained what was described as a “happy” relationship. The woman expressed that her children “thought the world” of Treharne, citing his treatment and love for her as reasons for her affection. However, Mr. Lloyd emphasized that she was unaware of Treharne’s criminal background and the specific restrictions imposed by his licence, which prohibited unsupervised contact with children.

During police monitoring of Treharne’s compliance with his licence conditions, he falsely claimed to have started a relationship and provided a false name, asserting that the woman did not have children. When confronted, he admitted to staying at her house and possessing a camera, which were violations of his licence conditions. Treharne also lied to police officers during their investigation.

Treharne’s legal representative, John Allchurch, argued that his client’s actions amounted to a normal relationship with an adult woman and that he had not committed any further offences beyond the breach of his order. He highlighted that the relationship had “flourished” and that Treharne had provided love, attention, and practical support to the woman. Allchurch also noted that Treharne’s motivation was solely to have a relationship, and that he had not disclosed his past convictions to her out of fear that she would discover the truth.

The court heard that Treharne’s former partner had not abandoned him following his arrest and had written 20 letters of support. However, Judge Paul Thomas condemned Treharne’s actions, describing his breaches as “deliberate and persistent” and accusing him of showing a “willful disregard” for the court’s orders. The judge stated that Treharne had misled police and placed children at risk, emphasizing that he was incapable of exercising restraint in such matters.

As a result, Treharne was sentenced to nine months in prison. Additionally, he was ordered to comply with a Sexual Offences Prevention Order and to sign the Sex Offenders Register for a period of ten years, marking a significant restriction on his future freedoms and monitoring.