FORMER TATA WORKER UNMASKED AFTER MESSAGING SOMEONE HE THOUGHT WAS A CHILD
Stephen Davies, 57, had worked as a steelworker for nearly thirty years and was once highly regarded for his work and standing.A former employee of Tata Steel was found guilty of sending sexually explicit messages to someone he believed was a 14-year-old boy and was found in possession of illegal videos involving sexual content.
Authorities recovered these videos after they confiscated Davies’s phone, which he had used to contact an individual he thought was a young teenager, but in fact, was an undercover police officer.
The investigation revealed the incriminating material.
During the court hearing at Swansea Crown Court, Davies’s lawyer told judges that his client’s conduct was "completely out of character" for a man with his background, and he had no history of criminal activity despite working at the steelworks for many years.
It was revealed that in September 2024, Davies started communication using a profile on the dating website FabGuys, claiming to be an 18-year-old man.
This profile was a police decoy.
The conversation continued via WhatsApp, where the decoy disclosed he was actually 14 and asked if this was a problem.
Davies responded that it was not an issue.
He then discussed sexual acts he wanted to perform and expressed feelings of arousal towards the fictional teenager.
Police subsequently arrested Davies at his home, seizing his phones.
On his devices, authorities discovered videos of cartoon characters involved in sexual acts and a live-action video of a man engaging sexually with an animal.
Davies was also linked to an online group sharing such illegal videos.
In police interviews, Davies admitted to chatting with the decoy profile but denied having any sexual interest in children.
Residing on Afan Road in Cwmavon, Davies had previously admitted guilt to charges including attempting sexual communication with a minor, possessing illegal images, and possessing extreme pornography.
He has no prior convictions.
Giles Hayes, his solicitor, stated that Davies has been married for 20 years and had maintained long-term relationships with adult women after his divorce.
He stressed that Davies’s actions were "completely out of character" and suggested that his behavior might have been influenced by health issues, loneliness, and social isolation, which led him to join groups sharing unlawful images.
Judge Paul Thomas KC expressed his disappointment that Davies refused to fully accept the reality that he derived sexual pleasure from his misconduct.
The judge indicated that the shame of the court process and the damage to his reputation might serve as the greatest punishment.
Davies received a two-year community order, was ordered to complete a rehabilitation course, pay a fine, and was designated as a sex offender for five years.
A sexual harm prevention order was also imposed for the same period.
