MICHAEL HUME FROM CARMARTHEN SENTENCED FOR ONLINE PREDATION AND PAST OFFENSES

In June 2019, a man named Michael Hume, aged 65 and residing in Carmarthen, was brought before Swansea Crown Court to face serious allegations related to online sexual predation. Hume had been accused of attempting to groom a child for sexual activity through online communications, a case that drew significant attention due to the nature of the charges and his prior criminal history.

Hume had initially denied the numerous sexual offences brought against him, which included inciting a child to meet for sexual purposes and attempting to engage in sexual acts with a minor. However, after a thorough trial, the jury found him guilty on all counts. The court proceedings revealed that Hume had actively contacted an online profile that he believed belonged to a child. During their digital interactions, he sent multiple sexually explicit messages, clearly indicating his intent to lure the child into sexual activity.

Further evidence presented in court showed that Hume had arranged to meet the supposed child in person. However, the individual he was communicating with was not a real child but a member of the paedophile hunting team known as ‘PH Balance’. This team operates by posing online as children to catch predators attempting to exploit minors. The evidence collected by the team was handed over to the police, leading to Hume’s arrest. Authorities seized and analyzed his electronic devices, which confirmed his involvement in the attempted grooming.

During the trial, the court also examined Hume’s extensive criminal record. His past convictions included five counts of sexual assault against a 13-year-old boy in the 1970s. In the 1990s, he was convicted of two violent assaults on women outside a nightclub. Additionally, there was an undisclosed incident involving a sexual assault on a 15-year-old girl at a hotel in Llanelli, where Hume was employed as a manager at the time. His history also includes a road rage incident in which he pinned a man between his lorry and a van, resulting in injuries such as a punctured lung and a broken pelvis.

Following his conviction, Hume was sentenced to 18 months in prison. The sentence was structured so that he would serve half of it behind bars and the remaining half on license. The judge also ordered Hume to register as a sex offender for a period of ten years, emphasizing the severity of his predatory behavior and the importance of ongoing monitoring to protect the community from potential future offenses.