MARK APPLEY AND SHOCKING CHILD SEX OFFENCES IN GWENT

A man from Monmouth, identified as Mark Appley, has been convicted of serious offences involving the solicitation of a minor in the Gwent area. The case came to light after he engaged in a disturbing online communication with what he believed was a 13-year-old girl, but was in fact an undercover police officer.

The incident dates back to November 2022, when Appley, aged 53, initiated contact through the Kik messenger service. He connected with a profile named "Maisie," who the defendant was led to believe was a young girl of just 13 years old. Despite being informed of her age by the decoy, Appley continued to engage in conversation, displaying a disturbing lack of concern for the truth.

During the course of their messaging, the court heard that Appley sent explicit sexual images to the decoy and expressed a desire to meet her in person. Prosecutor Paul Hewitt detailed that the defendant explicitly told "Maisie" he wanted to perform oral sex on her. The decoy, posing as a 13-year-old girl, told Appley she was from Southampton. In response, he expressed his intention to travel there, claiming he wanted to watch her play football and go shopping.

Further into their conversations, Appley asked inappropriate questions about her private parts and discussed plans to spend a night with her in a hotel. He also mentioned bringing a sex toy along for the meeting. The communication extended to a phone call, during which an undercover officer, also pretending to be a 13-year-old girl, participated in the conversation.

Multiple dates were arranged for Appley and the decoy to meet in person. However, in January of the following year, police officers executed a search at Appley's residence. During the search, they recovered the mobile phone used to communicate with the decoy. When questioned, Appley claimed he had been engaging in a 'fantasy' and insisted he was not genuinely attracted to children.

Appley, who resides at Cornwallis Way, Rockfield, faced multiple charges including engaging in sexual communication with a child, inciting a child to view sexual activity, and attempting to facilitate a child sex offence. He pleaded not guilty to these charges, but a jury found him guilty after a trial held in June. The court acknowledged that he had no previous criminal record and was considered to be of good character prior to these offences.

In mitigation, Nigel Fryer, representing Appley, stated that his client was not estranged from his adult children as a result of his actions and still maintained some support from his mother and sister. Mr Fryer emphasized that Appley's life would be significantly altered moving forward, especially considering the damage to his reputation.

Delivering the sentence, Judge Daniel Williams condemned the defendant’s actions, highlighting the premeditation involved. He stated, "In a phone call you made it clear your intention was to meet up with her and engage in sexual activity. There was significant planning and a significant disparity in age."

As a result, Appley was sentenced to three years and six months in prison. Additionally, he was placed under indefinite sex offender notification requirements and issued an eight-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order to restrict his future conduct and protect the community from potential harm.