SIDNEY JONES SENTENCED TO SIX YEARS IN PRISON IN MERTHYR FOR SEXUAL ABUSE OF GIRLS

In July 2010, Sidney John Merrick Jones, of Heath Crescent, Graigwen, was sentenced to six years in prison for a series of sexual offences spanning over three decades.

The 58-year-old pleaded guilty at Merthyr Crown Court to charges including sexual assault, indecency, indecent assault, and assault by penetration involving girls aged between five and 13 at the time of the offences.

He also admitted to possessing more than 3,139 indecent images, which included photographs and videos depicting the abuse of his victims.

The court was told that Jones had been involved in abusing six girls since 1976 but was only arrested in April of that year.

Prosecutor John Ryan explained, “Mr. Jones was a man who lived with his mother. He did not have normal adult relationships and did not work. He chose to befriend local children and was regarded as someone who could be trusted. He broke the trust invested in him by sexually abusing young girls.”

The court learned that Jones first abused one of his victims when she was just five years old, coinciding with a family tragedy.

Mr. Ryan noted that although most assaults occurred when Jones was alone, he also took risks by committing offences in the presence of others, often using a newspaper to conceal his actions.

Victims of Jones have struggled with issues like substance abuse, depression, and suicidal thoughts, with one victim attempting to take her own life three times.

A victim impact statement read aloud to the court revealed that one woman, now in her 30s, felt guilty for keeping her abuse a secret for 20 years. She stated, “He took away my childhood and innocence. I hate my body and myself. I feel constantly tired and struggle with day-to-day life. If I fall asleep, I wake up screaming.”

Defence lawyer Dan Williams described Jones as a man with a compulsive interest in young girls, stating, “He’s a man with a compulsive interest in young girls. To use his words, he ‘couldn’t stop himself’.”

Mr. Williams requested that the judge consider Jones’s guilty plea and noted that the pre-sentence report suggested rehabilitation might be possible.

Judge John Curran sentenced Jones to six years in prison, characterizing him as potentially manipulative and predatory. The judge remarked, “Offences of this kind can have lasting and indeed devastating emotional and psychological effects on the victims of them.”

Furthermore, Jones was issued an order prohibiting any contact with children.