SWINDON MAN JAILED FOR CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE
A man has been jailed after “preying” upon children for his sexual desires, say police.Mark Bellas, 54, was arrested in Swindon in October 2025, after travelling to the town with the intention of sexually abusing a child.
Bellas, from Harebell Gardens, Houghton Regis, Dunstable, Bedfordshire, believed he was going to meet a girl under the age of 13 for sexual abuse.
However, he was met by officers from the South West Regional Organised Crime Unit (SWROCU), who arrested him.
At the time of his arrest, Bellas was on bail for distributing indecent images of children, following an investigation by Bedfordshire Police.
He has been remanded into custody since then.
Bellas pleaded guilty to two counts of arranging or facilitating a child sex offence, attempting to cause or incite sexual exploitation, and five counts of distributing indecent images of children.
On January 23, at Swindon Crown Court, he was sentenced to 12 years imprisonment with a five-year extended licence, an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order, and will be on the Sex Offenders’ register for life.
DI Dave Wells from SWROCU commented: “Due to the strength of the evidence gathered by the police, Bellas had no option but to plead guilty.
He is a dangerous individual who preys upon children to fulfill his sexual desires, and I welcome the sentence handed down to him today.
Specially trained officers are all across the internet rooting out and prosecuting individuals’ intent upon sexually abusing and exploiting children.
We worked in collaboration with our colleagues at the Metropolitan Police and ERSOU to bring Bellas to justice.
If you have concerns about child abuse or want to report a crime, you can contact your local police via their website, or by calling 101.
Always dial 999 in an emergency.
