STUART REES FROM STALMINE JAILED FOR HORRIFIC CHILD PORNOGRAPHY OFFENSES IN BRECON AND MERTHYR TYDFIL

In a disturbing case that has shocked the local community, Stuart Rees, a 51-year-old man from Stalmine, was sentenced to prison after being found guilty of possessing an extensive collection of indecent images of children. The case was heard at Merthyr Tydfil Crown Court, where Rees admitted to multiple charges related to child exploitation and possession of illegal material.

Rees, a married father of three, had a long-standing career as a geography teacher, including a position as assistant head at Gwernyfed High School near Brecon. Despite his professional background, the court was told that his private life was marred by heinous criminal activity. Rees wrote a letter to the judge, describing the illicit material as his “temptress,” revealing a troubling insight into his mindset and the nature of his offending.

On June 18, 2013, police officers executed a search warrant at Rees’s residence in Beeches Park, Brecon. During the search, they confiscated computer equipment that was later examined and found to contain a staggering 4,393 indecent images of children. The images were categorized into different levels of severity: 887 images classified as Category A, which is the most serious, 997 images in Category B—including depictions of a girl aged between two and four—and 2,509 images in Category C. Additionally, a Category A movie was discovered in a shared folder accessible to anyone using the same software, effectively making it available to the wider internet community.

Prosecutor Sarah Waters highlighted the disturbing nature of the material, emphasizing that the shared folder was accessible to “the world at large,” allowing anyone with the appropriate software to view the content. The movie, which was incomplete—possibly due to Rees halting the download—depicted a girl aged between seven and nine, adding to the gravity of the case.

Further investigations revealed that Rees had created fake online personas, posing as a young girl and engaging with others on social media platforms. These profiles suggested that sexual activities had been carried out with very young children, including infants, which prosecutors described as “particularly indecent, unpleasant and graphic.”

Throughout the proceedings, the court was informed that Rees’s criminal conduct was not limited to possession. He had also made and shared indecent images, with five counts of creating such images and three counts of possessing extreme images. The case was particularly shocking given Rees’s reputation as a respected educator with a 30-year career in teaching, which he had ended after entering guilty pleas at the magistrates’ court.

In his defense, Ruth Smith, representing Rees, emphasized his previous standing in the community, noting his involvement with the Mid Wales Orienteering Society and his charitable activities. She acknowledged that his actions had caused irreparable damage to his reputation and had profoundly affected his family. His wife, who also worked in education, had lost her job as a consequence of his crimes, and his daughters had distanced themselves from him, feeling appalled by his behavior.

Rees’s lawyer also revealed that he had sought private help to address his offending, which he described as “abhorrent.” Despite this, the court was told that his actions had led to significant social and personal consequences. Rees expressed remorse, but the judge, Thomas Crowther QC, was unequivocal in his condemnation. Addressing Rees directly, the judge remarked, “What is mystifying is that a man with such obvious intelligence and insight would want to return to watch real children being raped for his pleasure. For it is men like you who sneak away to furtively watch this stuff that creates demand.”

Ultimately, Rees was sentenced to 16 months in prison. Additionally, he was placed under a 10-year Sexual Offences Prevention Order, which restricts his internet use, and he was ordered to register as a sex offender for the same period. The case serves as a stark reminder of the devastating impact of child exploitation crimes and the importance of vigilant law enforcement in protecting vulnerable victims from such heinous acts.