PORT TALBOT PAEDOPHILE DAVID ROUTLIFF CAUGHT IN ONLINE CHILD SEX PREDATION SCHEME

In June 2018, a disturbing case unfolded involving a middle-aged man from Port Talbot who was caught attempting to engage in sexual activities with a minor after believing he was communicating with a 13-year-old girl. The man, identified as David Andrew Routliff, was deceived by members of a Welsh paedophile hunting group, which had set up an online sting to catch individuals seeking to exploit children.

Over a period of two weeks in November 2017, Routliff engaged in sexually explicit conversations with what he believed was a 13-year-old girl. These exchanges took place through various messaging platforms, including WhatsApp. Unbeknownst to him, he was actually communicating with an adult woman who was part of the Welsh Children’s Protectors, a group dedicated to catching online predators. The group, known as Keeping Kids Safe (KKS), had monitored his online activity and gathered evidence against him.

Prosecutor Brian Simpson outlined the details of the case during the hearing at Swansea Crown Court. He revealed that Routliff made numerous explicit requests to meet the girl for sexual encounters. He sent her a photograph depicting an erect penis and asked her to perform sexual acts on herself. When the girl clarified that she was only 13 and a virgin, Routliff expressed his desire to be her first sexual partner. He even offered to provide her with a morning-after pill to prevent pregnancy, demonstrating a disturbing level of premeditation and intent.

The court was informed that Routliff and the fictitious girl had arranged to meet on December 8 of the previous year. However, he failed to appear at the designated meeting point. This failure prompted the paedophile hunters to report the incident to the police, providing the evidence they had collected. Authorities then traced Routliff’s whereabouts and discovered that he possessed 60 indecent images of children on his mobile phone. Further investigation revealed that he had been in contact with two other young girls, with whom he also discussed meeting up for sexual activities. He talked about going to a hotel for a rendezvous and again mentioned providing a morning-after pill. Additionally, he expressed a desire to have sex with the younger sister of one of these girls.

Police efforts to identify these other two contacts proved unsuccessful, but it was presumed that they were real minors rather than adults pretending to be children. One of the girls had sent Routliff nine nude photographs of herself, appearing to be between 13 and 16 years old. The investigation also uncovered that Routliff had been searching online for teenage pornography, further highlighting his predatory tendencies.

During his police interview, Routliff initially claimed that he did not believe the conversations on his phone were with real children, asserting that he thought they were with adults. He admitted that he participated in these exchanges “for a laugh,” showing a disturbing lack of remorse or understanding of the gravity of his actions.

Routliff, who resides on Southdown Road in the Sandfields area of Port Talbot, had previously pleaded guilty to multiple charges. These included three counts of inciting a child to engage in sexual activity, three counts of possessing indecent images, and one count of distributing an indecent image. His guilty plea was entered prior to sentencing.

Representing Routliff, solicitor Nicola Powell explained that her client had always lived with his parents and had never experienced a fully adult relationship. She conveyed that during their discussions, Routliff expressed awareness that his behavior was wrong and admitted to feeling ashamed of his actions.

Judge Keith Thomas addressed Routliff directly, emphasizing the seriousness of his offending. He stated that the crimes committed were so grave that only immediate imprisonment could be justified. As a result, Routliff was sentenced to 45 months in prison for each of the three counts of inciting a child to engage in sexual activity. For the four counts related to indecent images, he received an additional eight months for each, with all sentences to run concurrently. This resulted in a total prison term of 45 months.

Furthermore, Routliff was subjected to a lifelong sexual harm prevention order and was mandated to register as a sex offender. Both of these measures are to remain in effect indefinitely, reflecting the ongoing risk he poses to the community and the importance of monitoring his activities to prevent further harm.