BARRY FAIRGROUND WORKER JAILED FOR GROOMING GIRLS AND SEXUAL OFFENCES

A fairground worker from Barry Island has been sentenced to prison for a series of sexual offences committed against young girls. Carl Lintern, aged 42, was convicted of engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child, threatening to share intimate images or videos, possessing an indecent photograph of a child, and sexual assault. He was accused of targeting three victims—one as young as 12, another a 16-year-old girl, and a third a 17-year-old—at the Barry Island Pleasure Park where he worked in 2023. Lintern was described by the prosecution as a "predator" who exploited his position at the fairground to groom his victims. The court heard that he first gained the trust of his victims by giving some free rides, then began to bombard a 16-year-old girl with messages requesting sexual videos of her. He threatened to kill himself and her family, which terrified her into compliance. The second victim was 12 years old when Lintern sent her a video of himself masturbating and received an image of her exposing her breasts. The third victim, a 17-year-old, was sexually assaulted twice at the fairground when she was very drunk, with Lintern attempting to kiss her and put his hands down her shorts. A victim impact statement from a 16-year-old girl revealed her fear of Lintern and what he was capable of. Lintern, who lives on Barrasford Road in Cramlington, Northumberland, has a prior conviction for indecent assault on a girl under 14 from 1997. The court also noted that he was a victim of childhood trauma, including a hammer attack at 16 and the murder of his mother by his stepfather. Judge Paul Hobson sentenced Lintern to three years and eight months in prison, with a lifelong requirement to register as a sex offender and an indefinite sexual harm prevention order. Detective Constable Robyn Allen from the South Wales Police Child Exploitation Team stated that Lintern used his job to meet and groom vulnerable girls, controlling and coercing them, making them feel helpless. She emphasized that his criminal behavior shows no place in society and expressed hope that the victims and their families could find some relief knowing he is in prison and no longer a threat. The sentence serves as a warning to others considering similar offences.