A MAN has been jailed for sexually assaulting a 10-year-old girl multiple times on Christmas Day.

Convicted sex offender Nigel Yates, 57, was described by the judge as having “a deviant and unhealthy” interest “embedded in him for teenage and pre-pubescent girls”.

Yates, of Maes Y Coed in Llechryd, Cardigan, appeared at Swansea Crown Court after admitting three offences of sexually assaulting a child in Llangrannog on December 25, 2022.

Helen Randall, prosecuting, said the girl did not tell anyone about the abuse until she was next told they would be going to the defendant’s house.

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Giving a statement in court, the victim’s mother said: “I’m still very much in shock about what’s happened.”

She added that although the victim “put on a brave face”, it was clear she had been affected by the abuse.

In interview, Yates denied the offences. He also made disparaging remarks about the victim.

He did plead guilty at the plea and trial preparation hearing.

Yates has four previous convictions for five offences. These include being convicted in 2001 of two offences of indecent assault of two children, making indecent images of children in 2015, and failing to comply with notification requirements - also in 2015.

The court heard that Yates would refuse to disclose his previous convictions to others.

Western Telegraph: Sex offender Nigel Yates was jailed at Swansea Crown Court.Sex offender Nigel Yates was jailed at Swansea Crown Court. (Image: Dyfed-Powys Police)

David Singh, defending, admitted: “These are serious offences and they are clearly aggravated by Mr Yates’ previous convictions.”

He said that Yates’ best mitigation was his guilty plea, and that the defendant was “under no illusions” about the seriousness of the offences.

Mr Singh said Yates had been battling alcohol addiction “for many years”, and that he was motivated to work with the probation service to get “specific and targeted help”.

“You have persisted in displaying an unhealthy relationship in young girls,” Judge Huw Rees said, addressing the defendant.

Yates was jailed for 42 months – running concurrently for each offence. He was made the subject of a restraining order and a sexual harm prevention order, each for 10 years. He must register as a sex offender indefinitely.