July 2019 Child sex offender found dead days before he was due in court over fresh charges A convicted child abuser, who was previously beaten up by one of his victims, died the day before he was due to face fresh charges. David Wiseman was supposed to appear in court in relation to a range of child sexual offence charges on Tuesday, however he was found dead at his home on Monday. Each of the historical charges date back to the late eighties and were alleged to have taken place in Swansea, Carmarthenshire and  Gwynedd, in Wales. The day before he was due to appear, police were called to St Helen’s Road in Swansea, where Wiseman lived at Homegower House A spokesman for South Wales Police said: “We were called to reports of a sudden death of a 74-year-old man on July 8, in St Helen’s Road. “There are no suspicious circumstances and the matter has been referred to the HM coroner”. Wiseman had been convicted in 1987 of having indecent photographs, and was before the courts again in 2014. On that occasion, he was jailed for four years, after two victims came forward decades after he abused them. Wiseman had sexually abused two boys, starting when one was aged under 10, and paid one of them £200 to allow him to take naked pictures of him. He had been tracked down years later when living in Middle Road in Cwmdu by one of the men he had abused, who assaulted him, hoping to force him to come forward and admit his offending to police. When he did not, the man assaulted him a second time, but Wiseman still did not confess. Both men said their lives had been ruined by the abuse, listing physical and psychological problems. At the time of the offending, the maximum sentence was two years for each offence. Judge Paul Thomas told Wiseman at the sentencing he had ‘ruined’ the boys’ childhood, and added that the assaults upon him had been wrong, but ‘on another level they were understandable’. “It wasn’t simply the physical acts you performed on him but the fact he has been left with a lifetime of shame, believing it was in some way his fault,” said the judge. When his case came before Swansea Magistrates’ Court this week, prosecutor Linda Baker told the court: “We have had confirmed by police he has passed away. “That [case] will have to be withdrawn.” He was facing ten sexual offence charges; five of gross indecency with a boy under the age of 14, four of indecent assault of a boy under the age of 14, and one of making indecent photographs of a child. January 2014 Paedophile David Wiseman, aged 68, jailed after victims came forward decades after abuse A PAEDOPHILE has been jailed after two victims came forward decades after he abused them. But the judge sentencing David Wiseman, aged 68, was limited to jailing him for four years because of the sentencing guidelines in place at the time of the offences. Wiseman had sexually abused two boys, starting when one was aged eight. He had paid one of them £200 to allow him to take naked pictures of him. One of the men tracked Wiseman, from Middle Road in Cwmdu, down years afterwards and assaulted him, hoping that would force him to come forward and admit his offending to police. When he did not, the man assaulted him a second time, but Wiseman still did not confess. That man then had counselling and afterwards felt strong enough to report the abuse to police. Both men said their lives had been ruined by the abuse, listing physical and psychological problems as well as describing feeling worthless and ashamed. One said he had reported the abuse to his mother, but did not report it to police because of the shame. Wiseman had pleaded guilty to charges of indecent assault, gross indecency and making indecent photographs but Judge Paul Thomas told the court that he was bound by the guidelines in place then and not today. At the time of the offending, the maximum sentence was two years for each offence. Judge Thomas said: “I have to look at the totality of the sentences that I pass, I cannot simply tot up each sentence in a mathematical column. “I have to bear in mind that the maximum sentence, strange though it is to think of 2014 for these offences, was a maximum of only two years imprisonment.” Kevin Seal, representing Wiseman, said his client did not realise at the time what effect his abuse would have had. “He realises he has ruined their lives now, as well as his own and that of his family,” he said. “He’s had no sexual interest in children for many years,” he went on. Sentencing him Judge Thomas told Wiseman he had “ruined” the boys’ childhood. He said although the actions of the victim who assaulted him were wrong “on another level they were understandable”. “It wasn’t simply the physical acts you performed on him but the fact he has been left with a lifetime of shame, believing it was in some way his fault,” said the judge.