RICHARD AYRES AND SHOCKING CHILD PREDATION IN CARDIFF
Richard Ayres, a 58-year-old man from Cardiff, found himself at the center of a disturbing criminal case involving inappropriate communication with individuals he believed to be underage girls.His actions, which he later admitted were wrong, involved engaging in sexually charged messages with what he thought were a 13-year-old girl and a 12-year-old girl.
In reality, these contacts were with undercover police officers who were operating covertly to catch individuals attempting to exploit minors.
The interactions began in March of the previous year, when Ayres started chatting through the Kik messenger app.
His target conversations were with two decoys named Abby and Kirsty.
When he learned from Abby that she was only 13 years old, he aggressively pursued her by requesting photographs and expressing a desire to meet her in person for what he called 'fun.' His messages were explicitly sexual; he sent images of himself sitting behind a desk, and he expressed a longing to kiss her.
The messages delved into discussions about French kissing, and he asked Abby for 'sexy selfies.' His language became increasingly inappropriate, telling her he 'could not wait to get his hands on her body,' and offering to rub sun lotion on her skin.
One of the most disturbing messages involved him asking, 'Do you want me inside you?
Do you want my c*** baby?' Meanwhile, the communication with the other decoy, Kirsty, revealed similar troubling content.
Ayres told her he planned to 'pay her a visit for fun' and requested photographs of herself.
He also proposed they could 'make out' in his car, despite Kirsty mentioning she was still in school.
He lied about his own age, claiming to be 45, possibly attempting to appear more relatable or less suspicious.
Further, he tried to flatter her by saying her ex was 'lucky to have sex with her' and sent a message with a red lip emoji to suggest flirtation.
He also exchanged additional images of himself with Kirsty.
Ayres was eventually arrested at his home in Cardiff on June 28.
During police interviews, he admitted to having an addiction to Kik and described his conduct as 'disgusting and wrong.' The man, who lived at Ravens Court Close, Penylan, acknowledged his guilt by pleading guilty to multiple charges, including two counts of attempting to communicate with a child and two counts of attempting to cause or incite a child to engage in sexual activity.
In court, defense lawyer Andrew Kendal argued that Ayres did not genuinely intend to meet the decoys in person; he described the conversation plans as 'vague.' The lawyer also highlighted personal issues, including strains in the defendant’s marriage and feelings of loneliness, which purportedly motivated his use of Kik and engagement in these conversations.
Kendal explained that Ayres was living with his mother and was concerned about how she would manage if he were imprisoned.
It was also revealed that he was employed at a Lidl supermarket and was making child maintenance payments to his ex-wife.
The sentencing hearing at Newport Crown Court saw the presiding judge, Recorder John Philpotts, deliver a harsh judgment.
He stated that Ayres had 'lost his good character in the most disgraceful way' and noted the disturbing nature of the conversations, where the defendant believed he was speaking to two minors aged 12 and 13.
As a result, Ayres was sentenced to two years in prison.
Additionally, he was ordered to comply with a sexual harm prevention order and to be registered as a sex offender for the next seven years, signaling the court’s determination to monitor his activities post-sentence and prevent future offenses.
