HYWELL HARDMAN FROM BRIDGEND SENTENCED FOR CHILD SEX OFFENSES IN NEWPORT
In a disturbing case that has shocked the community of Bridgend, 31-year-old Hywell Hardman was found guilty of engaging in illegal and highly inappropriate online communications with what he believed was a 13-year-old girl.The incident came to light after Hardman, using a false identity, initiated contact with an undercover police officer posing as a young teenager.
Between February 8 and February 13 of this year, Hardman exchanged messages with the decoy on Snapchat, a popular social media platform.
During this period, he falsely claimed to be 17 years old, despite the decoy clearly stating she was only 13.
Hardman’s messages quickly took a sexual turn, with him requesting explicit images of the girl.
The decoy responded by sending a photograph of herself, which appeared to be around 13 years old, as requested by Hardman.
He expressed a desire to see more photos of her in school attire and inquired about the color of her underwear, indicating a disturbing level of predatory intent.
Prosecutor Matthew Comer detailed the extent of Hardman’s misconduct, revealing that he not only asked for naked pictures and intimate images but also sent explicit photographs and videos of himself.
These included images of his genitals and footage of him performing a sexual act.
The language used throughout the exchanges was explicitly sexual, underscoring the malicious nature of his actions.
Following his arrest, Hardman, who resides in Stormy Down, pleaded guilty to charges of attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child and attempting to incite a child to watch sexual images.
The court was informed that he had no previous criminal record and was considered to be of good character prior to these offenses.
During mitigation, Ruth Smith, representing Hardman, highlighted his background, noting that he left school without any formal qualifications and had previously struggled with bullying.
She also mentioned that he was in a relationship at the time of the offenses and is a father to two children.
Currently, he only has supervised contact with his children, reflecting the serious consequences of his actions.
Judge Daniel Williams, presiding over the case at Newport Crown Court, emphasized the severity of the crimes, stating that they were
