March 2017 Paedophile jailed for nine and a half years A paedophile who met up with an underage girl at Machynlleth train station has been jailed for nine and a half years. Mark Owen, 49, wept as he was told by a judge on Wednesday that he was a high risk to any girl aged under 16. Owen met the girl at the town’s railway station and kissed and cuddled her. But, Swansea crown court heard, there was no doubt his plans involved having sexual intercourse with her and even making her pregnant. Owen, from Caerphilly, was under licence from prison and the subject of a restraining order at the time for previous sexual offences against underage girls. But, said Judge Peter Heywood, that did not stop him from making contact with the girl over the internet. Her mother became annoyed to find she had exceeded her mobile telephone messages allowance for the second month running. She examined the phone and was “horrified and alarmed” to discover messages her daughter and Owen had swapped. She sent Owen a message of her own and telephoned him to tell him she would contact the police. Judge Heywood said Owen had shared more than 1,400 messages or conversations with the girl, including 161 on September 26, 2015, the day he travelled to Machynlleth to meet her. They included messages, from him to her, reading, “I can imagine what it will be like on Saturday. Straight to the woods and we’ll do it in the woods. “We would be at it all night. How many babies would you want, honey?” Sexual intercourse did not take place that day, added Judge Heywood, but it was clear that in the days following Owen made more arrangements to meet up. After his arrest he denied contacting the girl at all. But CCTV cameras had filmed him in Machynlleth even though he had pulled up a hood and put on sunglasses. Judge Heywood said that even while in jail on remand Owen wrote to the girl asking her to send him photographs of her. When police spoke to him about that he again denied responsibility, but a hand writing expert could prove he had written the letter. Owen admitted sexual activity with a girl aged under 16, breaching the terms of his licence from prison and a sexual harm prevention order. The court heard that in 2006 Owen had been made the subject of a community order for sexual activity with three girls aged under 13. In 2009 he was jailed for five years for sexual activity with a girl aged under 16 and breaching the terms of the previous sentence, with an extended licence period of three years. Judge Heywood said Owen was clearly a dangerous offender. Because of the threats he had made against the Machynlleth girl she had become too afraid to leave her home even though she had been told he was in prison. “You are highly predatory and have a deviant interest in young girls,” he added. Owen was jailed for nine and a half years and told he could not even apply for parole until he had served six years and four months. February 2017 Convicted paedophile made contact with schoolgirl A schoolgirl from Machynlleth made contact with a man over the internet and met up with him without knowing he was a convicted paedophile. Mark Owen, 48, kissed and cuddled her without her knowing he had only just been released from prison for child sex offences. Owen, of no fixed address since being released from prison, appeared before Judge Peter Heywood at Swansea Crown Court having admitted sexual grooming of an underage girl and indecent assault. Owen also admitted twice breaching a sexual harm prevention order imposed for his earlier offending. Judge Heywood said he wished to consider the matter further and postponed sentencing Owen until Wednesday. Owen was further remanded in custody meanwhile. Judge Heywood warned him that he would have to decide whether to pass an extended sentence. November 2006 Man carried out sex attacks on young girl A JOBLESS father of four who carried out sex attacks on a young girl nearly two years ago was sentenced to a community rehabilitation order for three years. Judge Philip Richards told Cardiff crown court what concerned him was the inability of 38-year old Mark Owen to accept responsibility for what he did. He told him: “You maintain your innocence in the face of plain evidence that you committed the offences.” Owen of the Neerings, Coed Eva, Cwmbran, had been found guilty during a trial last month of three charges of sexual assault on the girl. All were committed in 2004 and involved him touching her on the buttocks and thigh over her clothing and kissing her. Owen was ordered to take part in a sex offenders’ treatment programme, and enhanced thinking skills programme and to carry out 100 hours unpaid work. The judge also imposed a sexual offences prevention order prohibiting Owen from being in the company of girls under the age of 16 or communicating with them and he was also ordered to register as a sex offender for five years. The judge said: “It’s right to say these offences four at the lower end of sexual offences against children. Nevertheless they are offences which have caused the court grave concern. “It’s impossible to fathom the affect the offences will have on the child in question and how she will react when older.” Owen’s counsel Jennett Treharne who produced two character references said Owen was actually arrested and interviewed by the police in 2005. There followed numerous delays for which he was not responsible. “Clearly he needs help and assistance with his difficulties. There is no danger of his causing sexual harm in the future.” Recently, she said, someone had deliberately broken a window at Owen’s home. And the judge warned that if his behaviour continued custody would be inevitable. “Young girls have to be protected and Owen must address his problems in a positive way,” he said.