Aberdare man jailed for sexual assaults on teenage girls

A man named Neil French, aged 42 and residing on Albert Street in Aberdare, was convicted and sentenced for sexual assaults on two teenage girls. He admitted to three counts of sexual assault and was found guilty of an additional 10 counts committed between 2004 and 2008. The court hearing revealed that French carried out the assaults when the victims were in their mid-teens, with the victims now being in their 20s. A victim impact statement from the girls' mother expressed her disgust, noting she was 'sickened' upon discovering what French had done, and that one of her daughters had since dropped out of university. French's case included allegations of touching the girls over their clothing, and he also sent explicit text messages to one of the victims. French, who denied being a pedophile, claimed he assaulted one girl because he believed she had asked for it, stating during court proceedings: 'I believe so' when asked if the girl had led him on. He was later referred to a crisis unit at St Tydfil's Hospital where he admitted to touching the girls' over clothing. Although he had no previous convictions, French had a caution for a sexual offence at age 21. His mitigation argued that he was under close supervision in prison due to his history of self-harming and being on antidepressants. The judge sentenced him to four years in prison and ordered him to register as a sex offender for life.