TRISTAN MCCAULEY FROM PEMBROKE DOCK SENTENCED AFTER BREACHING SEXUAL RISK ORDER AND REQUESTING SEXUAL IMAGES

In March 2020, a serious incident involving Tristan McCauley, a resident of Pembroke Dock, came to light during a court hearing at Haverfordwest magistrates. The case centered around McCauley's breach of a sexual risk order, which had been previously imposed due to his involvement in inappropriate sexual communications and possession of explicit images involving minors.

According to the prosecution, Linda Baker, McCauley, aged 22, had purchased a new mobile phone between December 16 and February without informing the police, as required by the terms of his existing sexual risk order. This order, which was in place for two years, was originally issued following a police caution related to his engagement in sexual communication with a child and the possession of inappropriate images. The court was informed that McCauley also acquired a cloud storage account and downloaded social media applications, including Facebook and Snapchat, despite being explicitly prohibited from doing so under the terms of his order.

Further investigation revealed that police executed a search warrant at McCauley's residence on February 26. During the search, officers found a smartphone on his bed that contained Facebook and Snapchat accounts. Forensic analysis of the device uncovered two Category C images depicting a boy estimated to be between eight and twelve years old. Additionally, authorities discovered a Messenger account registered under a different name, which contained over 500 chat messages exchanged with unknown contacts. These messages included multiple requests for sexual images and videos, highlighting a pattern of inappropriate and illegal communication.

During the court proceedings, McCauley's defense lawyer, Mike Kelleher, explained that his client had been held in custody since his arrest and that this was his first appearance in court, describing the experience as a 'shock to his system.' Kelleher emphasized that McCauley, who has learning difficulties, had expressed feelings of boredom and loneliness, which may have contributed to his actions. The lawyer also noted that McCauley's mother had given up her employment to care for him and to support his cooperation with both the police and probation services.

After reviewing a comprehensive report on McCauley's case, the magistrates decided on a sentence that included a two-year community order. This order mandated 30 days of rehabilitation activities and 200 hours of unpaid work. Additionally, McCauley was ordered to pay costs amounting to £85 and a surcharge of £90. The court's decision reflects the seriousness of the breach and the need for rehabilitation and supervision to prevent future offenses.