TREVER MASTERS FROM BLAENAVON FACES 12-YEAR SENTENCE AFTER FRENCH ESCAPE

In a significant development in a long-standing criminal case, Trevor Masters, a man originally from Blaenavon in south east Wales, has finally been sentenced to a 12-year prison term for a series of heinous crimes. The case drew widespread attention after Masters, who was on trial for multiple sexual and violent assaults, managed to evade justice by fleeing the country during the proceedings.

Masters, aged 50 at the time, was involved in a trial at Cardiff Crown Court where he faced charges related to 14 separate incidents of sexual and violent offenses committed against women and young girls. One of the victims was only 11 years old when the assaults began, highlighting the severity and depravity of his crimes. Despite being allowed to stay at a bed-and-breakfast during the initial three-week trial, Masters maintained his innocence and denied all charges.

On the night before the jury was set to retire and reach a verdict, Masters hosted a leaving party at a pub located in the village of Lyonshall, Herefordshire. His absence from the court did not prevent the proceedings from continuing; he was convicted in his absence of nine counts of sexual and violent offenses and was subsequently sentenced to a lengthy prison term. However, Masters did not accept his fate quietly. He later contacted his solicitor, declaring, “I’m a long, long way away and I won’t be coming back,” indicating his intention to evade justice.

Following his escape, there were numerous reports of sightings across Europe, including in Strasbourg, Malaga, and near Nice. Despite these reports, it was the French town of Pau where authorities finally located Masters after an extensive international manhunt. He had driven his LandRover through the Channel Tunnel to reach France, where he was found sitting in a cyber café, living under the radar.

His capture came after a two-year extradition battle, which culminated in Gwent Police detectives bringing him back to Britain on a Thursday. The following day, a judge at Cardiff Crown Court extended his sentence, partly as a response to the additional stress caused to his victims by his attempt to escape. The court heard that Masters had been living a transient life during his time on the run, claiming to police that he had been residing in a cyber café.

Prosecutor Nicholas Gareth Jones described Masters as a “violent man,” emphasizing his dangerous nature. Judge John Griffith Williams QC, who had originally sentenced Masters, condemned his actions and attitude. He stated, “You have used every avenue afforded by the French legal system to fight extradition. You chose to do that rather than return to this country to appeal against your conviction.” The judge further described Masters as “an arrogant self-centred man with no regard for the suffering he has caused,” and highlighted the depravity of his crimes, especially the abuse inflicted on a 10-year-old girl.

Masters was convicted of multiple serious offenses, including rape, three counts of actual bodily harm, three indecent assaults, and two attempted serious sexual offenses against a woman and two children. The court also learned that he had a fascination with firearms, shotguns, and knives, which added to the concerns about his dangerousness. His defense lawyer, Peter Heywood, argued that Masters was under significant stress and anxiety at the time of his escape, and expressed that he appreciated the wrongfulness of his actions. Nonetheless, the court’s verdict underscored the gravity of his crimes and the threat he posed to society.