DREADFUL CASE INVOLVING DAVID BUNDOCK IN CARDIFF: FORMER MBE AWARDEE JAILED FOR CHILD SEX OFFENCES
In March 2019, David Watkin Bundock, a retired head teacher from Cardiff and an MBE recipient, was sentenced to prison for multiple child sexual offences.The 74-year-old used a messaging app on his mobile device to communicate sexually explicit messages with young boys.
He pleaded guilty to possession of indecent images of children, attempting sexual communication with a minor, and grooming a child.
Bundock was sentenced at Swansea Crown Court to two years and three months in prison.
Although he admitted to one count of grooming, he was also found to have possessed indecent images, some classified as Category A, indicating the most severe level of illicit material.
The judge, Keith Thomas, condemned Bundock’s actions as ‘‘appalling offences’’ carried out in secret, betraying the moral values he previously espoused.
He remarked that Bundock had let down those who knew him, particularly after a long career in education during which he had achieved much.
His offences took place between October 2017 and January 2019 and were not related to his previous roles as head teacher at various primary schools in Llandysul, Ceredigion, including Aberbanc School, Pontsian School, and Capel Dewi School.
His career in teaching started in 1965 at Lampeter Primary, culminating in a 41-year tenure before he transitioned to roles within the education service.
The police investigation was initiated after officers discovered Bundock’s mobile number on the device of a man arrested for distributing indecent images in March 2017.
Prosecutor Jim Davis QC explained that the two men had communicated via WhatsApp and exchanged graphic and depraved discussions about children.
Further police scrutiny uncovered that Bundock was using the Kik messenger app to talk about sexual activity with boys.
It was reported that he told a 14-year-old boy, "couldn’t wait to be naked with him." The case escalated when Bundock was caught in a sting operation conducted by a vigilante paedophile-hunting group, which had created a fake profile of a 15-year-old boy on a dating app.
During the sting, Bundock expressed a desire to have been a teacher to the boy and arranged to meet him at a car park in Carmarthen.
When he arrived, he was confronted by members of the group, and police arrested him at his residence hours later.
Despite his initial arrest in July 2018, Bundock continued to engage in illegal conduct, committing another grooming offence while on bail.
He was subsequently issued a sexual harm prevention order and prohibited from working with children.
Bundles of further charges included his guilty pleas to possessing indecent images, attempting to groom, and attempting to meet a child following sexual grooming.
He faces a possible jail term following sentencing scheduled for March 21.
Bundock, a father of two residing on Vellacott Close in Cardiff, remains in custody pending his punishment.
