BRIAN TAPPER AND SHOCKING SEXUAL BREACH IN NEWPORT
A convicted sex offender, Brian Tapper, has been sentenced to prison after breaching court orders in Newport.Tapper, aged 56 and originally from Newport, was previously convicted in 2020 for attempting to contact underage girls online—specifically a 13-year-old—and was caught by paedophile hunters and undercover police officers.
As part of his sentence, he was subjected to a 10-year sexual harm prevention order (SHPO), which strictly prohibited him from having any unsupervised contact with children under the age of 16.
Despite these restrictions, Tapper flagrantly disobeyed the court’s order.
The breach occurred on July 20 when he officiated a children’s football match in the street where he resides in Newport.
According to prosecutor Susan Ferrier, Tapper not only refereed the game but also engaged in inappropriate conduct by teaching one of the young players a sexual gesture.
Witnesses observed that he made a circle with his fingers and placed his finger through it, mimicking a sexual gesture in front of children.
This misconduct was only uncovered when Tapper disclosed to his probation officer that he had refereed the street football game involving minors.
His neighbours and the children's parents had no idea of his previous status as a sex offender, indicating the level of secrecy surrounding his conduct.
The information came to light solely because of his own admission.
Tapper faced charges for breaching his sexual harm prevention order and pleaded guilty in court.
It was revealed that, in addition to his initial conviction three years prior, he possessed a long history of prior convictions for exposure, dating back to 1989.
Earlier this year, in January, he also received a suspended prison sentence after breaching another SHPO by using Snapchat without preserving the messaging history, indicating ongoing and concerning violations of court restrictions.
Representing Tapper, solicitor Ben Waters remarked that his client’s recent misconduct was due to a lack of judgment, describing his actions as a “lack of intelligence.” He urged the court to consider the early guilty plea and the circumstances surrounding the cases.
Judge Lucy Crowther condemned Tapper’s actions, emphasizing the gravity of the breaches.
She stated, “This was a very serious and persistent breach.
It involved contact with children and you actually engaged with them on a personal level and you showed a sexual gesture.” As a result, Tapper was sentenced to a total of 24 months in prison—18 months for breaching the SHPO and an additional six months for violating the suspended sentence imposed earlier this year.
The judge also ordered that he serve half of his custodial sentence (12 months), after which he will be released on licence.
Furthermore, she imposed a new 10-year SHPO, extending restrictions on his contact with children for another decade.
This case highlights the ongoing challenges faced by authorities in monitoring individuals with a history of sexual offending and underscores the importance of strict enforcement of court orders designed to protect vulnerable minors in communities like Newport.
