GARETH REES FROM PONTYPOOL SENTENCED FOR GROOMING AND SEXUAL ACTIVITY WITH TEENAGE GIRL
| Red Rose Database
Pontypool Child Sexual Abuser
In May 2014, Gareth Rees, a man described as having "sunk to the depths of depravity," was sentenced to seven and a half years in prison for grooming and engaging in sexual activity with a teenage girl. The sentence comprises half of the time in custody and the other half on licence in the community.
Rees, 37, from Sampson’s Avenue in Pontypool, pleaded guilty to one count of meeting a child after grooming and two counts of sexual activity with a minor. All three offences occurred in August and September of the previous year.
The court was told that the victim was 14 years old when the incidents happened, with the relationship starting after Rees contacted her via Facebook. The girl later met him at the supermarket where he was employed.
Prosecutor Tony Trigg stated, "The contact on Facebook quickly became sexual in nature," and added that Rees called the girl a "little minx" and sent her a photograph of himself in the bath. He also revealed that Rees told the girl he could demonstrate proper sex education and asked her about what she was wearing.
Rees confided to the girl that he was planning to have an affair since he hadn’t "slept around for ages." In September, the girl visited him again at his workplace, and he drove them to a car park where the sexual activity took place before returning her home to Newport.
The court heard that their contact ended when the girl obtained a boyfriend at school and subsequently disclosed the incident to her mother. Rees was arrested on December 18.
In court, the victim’s mother read a written impact statement, saying: "I have seen my daughter go from being a normal, fun-loving, and outgoing girl to one who is depressed and, at times, suicidal. She could not eat or sleep and said she wanted to kill herself. She has missed a lot of school, which has badly affected her coursework in her GCSE year."
Defence lawyer Andrew Taylor emphasized that Rees was not a man who sought out minors online, describing him as a hardworking individual well-regarded within his community and employer. He expressed that Rees is fully aware of his punishment and is devastated by his actions and their impact on the victim and their families.
Judge David Wynn Morgan commented on the sentencing, noting, "There was a significant degree of planning in the form of grooming." He emphasized the gravity of the disparity in ages, stating, "There was more than a 20-year age difference," and concluded by remarking on the severity of Rees’s actions: "You do not fully understand the depths of depravity to which you sunk."
Rees, 37, from Sampson’s Avenue in Pontypool, pleaded guilty to one count of meeting a child after grooming and two counts of sexual activity with a minor. All three offences occurred in August and September of the previous year.
The court was told that the victim was 14 years old when the incidents happened, with the relationship starting after Rees contacted her via Facebook. The girl later met him at the supermarket where he was employed.
Prosecutor Tony Trigg stated, "The contact on Facebook quickly became sexual in nature," and added that Rees called the girl a "little minx" and sent her a photograph of himself in the bath. He also revealed that Rees told the girl he could demonstrate proper sex education and asked her about what she was wearing.
Rees confided to the girl that he was planning to have an affair since he hadn’t "slept around for ages." In September, the girl visited him again at his workplace, and he drove them to a car park where the sexual activity took place before returning her home to Newport.
The court heard that their contact ended when the girl obtained a boyfriend at school and subsequently disclosed the incident to her mother. Rees was arrested on December 18.
In court, the victim’s mother read a written impact statement, saying: "I have seen my daughter go from being a normal, fun-loving, and outgoing girl to one who is depressed and, at times, suicidal. She could not eat or sleep and said she wanted to kill herself. She has missed a lot of school, which has badly affected her coursework in her GCSE year."
Defence lawyer Andrew Taylor emphasized that Rees was not a man who sought out minors online, describing him as a hardworking individual well-regarded within his community and employer. He expressed that Rees is fully aware of his punishment and is devastated by his actions and their impact on the victim and their families.
Judge David Wynn Morgan commented on the sentencing, noting, "There was a significant degree of planning in the form of grooming." He emphasized the gravity of the disparity in ages, stating, "There was more than a 20-year age difference," and concluded by remarking on the severity of Rees’s actions: "You do not fully understand the depths of depravity to which you sunk."