MICHAEL VERNON FROM LOWER CWMTWRCH SENTENCED FOR CHILD SEX OFFENDING IN SWANSEA

In September 2021, a disturbing case unfolded involving Michael Vernon, a resident of Lower Cwmtwrch, who was caught attempting to engage in sexual communications with minors through social media platforms. The investigation revealed that Vernon had been actively sending inappropriate and explicit messages over a period of several months, believing he was communicating with young girls aged 12, 13, and 14. These messages included the sending of indecent photographs and videos of himself, as well as encouraging the decoy profiles to perform sexual acts.

Vernon’s actions came to light after paedophile hunters, operating decoy social media accounts, identified his activity. The accounts were designed to mimic the profiles of young girls, with the explicit purpose of catching individuals seeking to exploit children. The Swansea Crown Court heard that in early April 2018, Vernon initiated contact with five different decoy profiles across various social media platforms. These profiles were not real children but were managed by adults aiming to identify and apprehend predators.

Over the course of three months, Vernon engaged in highly inappropriate exchanges, asking the decoys about their sexual experiences, complimenting them, and explicitly stating that he was aroused by their supposed images. He also sent explicit photographs of his genitals, videos of himself masturbating, and requested the decoys to send similar images back to him. The severity of his actions was compounded when, in June, the decoy operators reported his activity to the police, leading to his arrest and the seizure of his phone.

Further investigation uncovered that Vernon had also been communicating with a real 14-year-old girl from Yorkshire. This was confirmed after authorities traced the account and spoke with the girl, who revealed that Vernon had engaged in sexual conversations with her, including performing sexual acts in front of her during a Skype video call. The police found that Vernon’s interactions with the girl were similarly explicit and predatory in nature.

During police interviews, Vernon claimed that he was aware the social media profiles he interacted with were not genuine children but were operated by adults. He stated that his intent was to 'wind them up,' suggesting he did not believe he was engaging with real minors. Despite this claim, Vernon faced serious charges, including five counts of attempted sexual communication with a child, attempting to cause a child to watch a sexual act, attempting to incite a child to engage in sexual activity, engaging in sexual communication with a child, and engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child.

Judge Catherine Richards addressed the court, condemning Vernon’s actions as seeking out young girls on multiple online platforms for his own sexual gratification. She emphasized the importance of online safety, stating, 'Children and their parents should feel safe and secure online without fear of predators seeking them out for their sexual gratification.' The judge acknowledged that Vernon’s behavior was wholly incomprehensible to those who knew him well, citing impressive references in his favor, but ultimately concluded that the seriousness of his offending warranted immediate custody.

Vernon, who resides in Lynden, Lower Cwmtwrch, was sentenced to a total of 36 months in prison. Due to his guilty pleas, he will serve up to half of this sentence in custody before being released on licence to serve the remainder in the community. Additionally, Vernon was subjected to an indefinite sexual harm prevention order and will be registered as a sex offender for the rest of his life, reflecting the gravity of his crimes and the ongoing risk he poses to the community.