MALCOLM CRANE OF PONTYPRIDD SENTENCED FOR BREACH IN SWANSEA COURT

A convicted paedophile, Malcolm Crane of Dyffryn y Coed, Church Village, Pontypridd, was caught with two mobile phones despite being prohibited from owning such devices. Crane was originally convicted at Merthyr Tydfil Crown Court in May 2019 for attempting to incite a child under 13 to engage in a sexual act and for attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child.

As part of his sentence, Crane was granted a sexual harm prevention order for ten years and was instructed to notify police of any change of address. He last registered his details on January 4, 2021, and was supposed to do so again a year later, but he failed to do so despite receiving a reminder.

Police attended his home but received no answer and made no further contact initially. On January 13, 2022, officers visited his partner’s address in Port Tennant, where they arrested Crane, who was 50 years old. During the arrest, they found him to be in possession of two phones with internet access, which was a breach of his order.

During police interviews, Crane claimed he was unaware of the annual notification requirement, despite having previously completed it. He also believed the order ended after his probation period. Crane admitted to breaching the sexual harm prevention order and failing to comply with notification requirements.

Mark Davies, representing Crane, said: "He understands he chose not to report and chose to purchase the mobile phone. There is mitigation that thankfully the phone was not used to commit offences."

Judge Paul Thomas sentenced Crane to 20 weeks in prison for his breaches.