THOMAS EDWARDS FROM LLANGUNNOR SENTENCED FOR SEXUAL ONLINE CHAT WITH DECOYS IN SWANSEA

In July 2021, a disturbing case emerged involving Thomas Edwards, an 85-year-old former nurse from Rhoslas, Llangunnor, Carmarthen, who engaged in highly inappropriate and sexualized online communications with individuals he believed to be young girls aged 11 and 13. The court proceedings revealed that Edwards had initiated contact with three separate social media profiles, which were actually operated by members of the group known as Children Need Protecting, a team of paedophile hunters working to expose online predators.

According to the prosecution, Hannah George, the court heard that Edwards first made contact with these profiles at the beginning of August 2019. Despite the profiles clearly indicating their purported ages, Edwards continued to engage in explicit conversations over the following days. During these exchanges, he repeatedly encouraged the supposed girls to perform sexual acts on themselves, including pleas for them to kiss and fondle their friends. Edwards also expressed a particular interest in lesbian relationships, stating that he liked “lesbian love,” and discussed the possibility of setting up a webcam so he could watch the girls as they performed these acts.

Further details from the court indicated that Edwards asked one of the girls about her underwear and requested photographs of her in her nightie. He also urged the girls to try kissing and touching their female friends, demonstrating a disturbing level of predatory intent. The conversations revealed a warped perception of age and boundaries, with Edwards attempting to manipulate and coerce the girls into sexual activities.

On August 6, members of the group visited Edwards’ home in Rhoslas, Llangunnor, to confront him about his online behavior. Later that evening, Edwards was arrested by police officers. During his initial interview, he chose to remain silent, offering a “no comment” response. However, he later denied having any sexual interest in children, a claim that was contradicted by the evidence presented.

Thomas Edwards faced charges of attempted sexual communication with a child and attempting to incite a child to engage in sexual activity. He had previously pleaded guilty to these charges when he appeared in court for sentencing. It was noted that Edwards had failed to attend two earlier crown court hearings, resulting in arrest warrants being issued for his apprehension.

During the sentencing hearing, Judge Paul Thomas QC described Edwards’ conduct as “highly sexualised or, to use another word, disgusting.” The judge also addressed Edwards’ claims of poor health and fragility, stating that his medical conditions were no worse than what might be expected for a man of his age. The judge emphasized that Edwards had full mental capacity during the conversations, despite his attempts to portray himself as vulnerable.

In terms of sentencing, the judge indicated that a custodial term of seven years would have been appropriate if the case had gone to trial. However, considering Edwards’ age and the challenges posed by serving a prison sentence during the COVID-19 pandemic, the starting point was reduced to four years. After applying a one-third reduction for his guilty pleas, Edwards was sentenced to two years and eight months in prison. He is expected to serve up to half of this sentence in custody before being released on licence under the UK government’s early release scheme. Additionally, Edwards will be registered as a sex offender for the next ten years and will be subject to a sexual harm prevention order for the same duration, ensuring ongoing monitoring and restrictions to prevent further offending.