July 2021 Paedophile who tried to meet up with decoy acting as 12-year-old boy caught and jailed A paedophile who tried to meet up with someone he thought was a 12-year-old boy has been jailed. Macauley Webb had been messaging an undercover police officer posing as a 12-year-old boy on networking and dating app Grindr and WhatsApp before attempting to meet him. Cardiff Crown Court heard the 24-year-old had asked the child to become his boyfriend and asked whether he would kiss him. Joshua Scouller, prosecuting, said that on May 14 this year Webb liked a Grindr profile called ‘Welsh Romeo’ and began messaging the undercover police officer before they exchanged phone numbers and their conversation moved onto WhatsApp. The court heard that Webb was told “early in the conversation” that the boy was aged 12 and was nearly 13. Webb asked the boy to become his boyfriend and whether he would kiss him before asking him if they could perform oral sex on each other. On May 18 Webb attempted to meet the child in the car park of the Morrisons supermarket in Cwmbran where he was arrested by police who seized his mobile phone. Webb, of Gaer Vale, Newport, admitted to attempting to meet a child following sexual grooming and attempting to engage in sexual activity with a child. The court heard he has 11 previous convictions for 27 offences including possessing indecent images of children. Judge Richard Williams told Webb the offending represented a “serious escalation in your paedophilia”. He said: “I note that this was an attempt and that the child was fictional. While that reduces the harm caused it does not reduce the harm intended. This represents a serious escalation in your paedophilia. You have not been able to address your offending or sexual appetite. You do pose a significant risk of causing serious harm.” Webb was made the subject of an eight year extended sentence, made up of a four year custodial sentence and an extended licence period of four years. June 2021 Newport paedophile admits child sex offences A now three time convicted paedophile has been remanded in custody after he admitted intending to meet a 12-year-old boy following sexual grooming. Macauley Webb, 24, of Gaer Vale, Newport, also pleaded guilty to attempting to engage in sexual activity with a child. The city’s crown court heard how the offences took place last month. Webb’s sentence was adjourned for the preparation of a report. The defendant, who appeared via video link from Bridgend’s Parc Prison, was represented by Gareth Williams and the prosecution by Joshua Scouller. Judge Geraint Walters warned Webb: “A custodial sentence is inevitable.” His sentence is due to take place on July 1. In 2016, he was convicted of possession of indecent photos of kids, and he re-offended in 2018 after he was caught and convicted for possessing indecent image of kids December 2018 Newport man avoids jail after downloading hundreds of moving images of children A Newport man has avoided jail after admitting three counts of possessing indecent images of children, two years after receiving a community order for the same offence. Macauley Webb,22, of Monnow Way, Newport, was already the subject of a three year community order and Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) after being caught with indecent photographs of children in 2016. Cardiff Crown Court heard he had already committed one “technical breach” of the order since it was imposed. But despite this, Webb was able to use his mobile phone to download 416 moving images of children to a storage cloud. Of these, 228 were classed as category A, the most serious, 112 as category B and 76 as category C. Cardiff Crown Court heard that officers found the defendant had wiped his phone’s history during a check on June 25 this year, and confiscated it. “The officers were able to see the phone had a cloud account attached,” said prosecutor Timothy Evans. “They took the phone away and asked the defendant for the password. He gave the incorrect details.” But, continued Mr Evans, Webb later admitted downloading the images to the cloud to a support worker at his residential home. When the police returned to the home, Webb was truthful with them and admitted downloading the images. “He did say that there were family difficulties,” added Mr Evans. “An older man in the family was encouraging him at that time, he said.” In sentencing, Judge Neil Bidder QC told Webb he knew that downloading these images was wrong. “You know why it is so wrong. Because the abuse of these children is terrible, and it perpetuated by people like you who watch this sick images. “You know because you were convicted in 2016 of possession of indecent photos. On Wednesday, December 12, Judge Bidder gave Webb an eight month sentence, suspended for two years. He was made the subject of a SHPO for 10 years and ordered to complete 20 days of rehabilitation activities and 200 hours of unpaid work. A victim surcharge of £140 was also imposed.