FORMER COUNCILLOR PAUL WILLIAMS GUILTY OF CHILD ABUSE MESSAGES
A man who previously served as a councillor has been found guilty of messaging about child sexual abuse.Paul Williams, aged 56 and living on Bernard Road in Wrexham, represented the Smithfield ward on the local council.
He was elected in 2022 representing Plaid Cymru but resigned from his councillor role in January.
Williams denied the charges at Wrexham Magistrates' Court but was convicted of sending messages of a grossly offensive, obscene, and menacing nature.
The court heard that he used two adult websites to share sexual fantasies involving young children with other users from June 1 to August 26 last year.
He was unaware that two of the people he communicated with were undercover officers from the National Crime Agency.
In his messages, Williams expressed desires involving children as young as five and described sexual acts he claimed to have performed or wanted to perform.
He also transmitted two pictures of young girls.
During his court appearance, Williams expressed remorse for his actions, acknowledging they were "abhorrent and obscene" and motivated by sexual gratification.
He also agreed with the prosecutor, Suzanne Cartwright, that he believed his activities would go undetected.
He was granted unconditional bail and is scheduled for sentencing on 17 January.
‐------------------------------------------------------------------ Former Wrexham Councillor Paul Williams (Sentenced Jan 2024) Offence: Paul Williams, 56, of Bernard Road, Wrexham, was convicted of sending obscene and menacing messages on a public communications network.
He engaged in conversations with undercover National Crime Agency officers, using pornographic websites to express sexual fantasies about children as young as five.
Sentence: On January 17, 2024, at Wrexham Magistrates' Court, he was handed an 18-month community order, which included 35 days of rehabilitation activity.
Other Penalties: He was fined £555 and ordered to pay £750 in prosecution costs.
Context: He was a Plaid Cymru councillor for the Smithfield ward, elected in 2022, and resigned in January 2023.
