THESE are the criminals from across west Wales who have been jailed in April.
They were accused of offences including sexual assault, inciting a child to commit sexual acts, breaching sexual harm prevention orders, coercive and controlling behaviour, growing cannabis, assaults and theft.
The defendants were jailed for a total of just over 19 years and four months combined.
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Here’s a round-up of their cases.
Julian Dickenson
Julian Dickenson gave his victim a cocktail of drugs before sexually assaulting her after she fell unconscious.
Swansea Crown Court heard that the victim visited Dickenson’s house on May 8, 2021. He had previously expressed a sexual interest in the victim, but this was not reciprocated.
Dickenson gave her drugs – including heroin and cannabis – and she fell unconscious.
In the early hours of May 9, she awoke to a “vibrating feeling from her vagina”. The defendant was kissing her neck and holding on to a vibrator in her vagina.
She confronted Dickenson, but didn’t leave the house until later that day because she was still under the influence of the drugs – instead moving to a bedroom and sleeping there.
The victim went to her ex-partner’s house, who described her as “bawling her eyes out”. They both then went to Dickenson’s address to confront him, and he admitted sexually assaulting the victim with a sex toy and with his finger.
When he was arrested by the police, Dickenson said: “I don’t know if she was conscious or not” and that he had “wandering hands”.
He was released on bail following a police interview on May 10, 2021, and made full admissions in an interview in March 2022.
He must register as a sex offender indefinitely, and the victim was granted a restraining order against the defendant for eight years.
Ethan Rich
Convicted paedophile Ethan Rich recorded video calls between him and a 14-year-old girl where he masturbated as made her to carry out sexual acts.
The defendant was already subject to a sexual harm prevention order when Dyfed-Powys Police attended his address on August 30. Rich – who was living in a caravan at the rear of the property – didn’t reply when asked by officers whether he had access to mobile phones.
He admitted he had a phone when his mum encouraged him to “tell the truth”. The officers were also told he had been staying at an address in Cellan for seven or more days between May 28 and July 8 without notifying the police.
Rich was bailed and that phone was registered with the police.
In October, officers received a report that he was contacting a 14-year-old girl. He was arrested at his home address, and after Rich’s previously registered phone was seized, a second phone could be heard vibrating.
Each of the phones were analysed, and it was found Rich had a WhatsApp account under the name ‘Bob Ross’ and a Snapchat account under another false name. He had also made searches for ‘how to change your display name on Snapchat’ and ‘how to sign in to Snapchat on two accounts on an iPhone’.
The court heard that Rich was aware that the girl was underage, and had also searched for ‘age of consent’, ‘young teen’, and ‘what is a paedophile’.
On his devices, Rich had recordings of five video calls between him and the girl from between October 1 and 3. In the videos, Rich was instructing the girl to carry out various sexual acts on herself while he could also be seen masturbating on the calls.
He was also charged with a further breach of his sexual harm prevention order for his communication with an underage girl.
Rich was arrested and initially claimed in interview that he believed the girl was 19, but he later admitted the offences.
Sentencing Rich, Judge Paul Thomas KC said: “Your immaturity is a source of danger to young girls as you do not learn your lesson.”
The defendant will remain subject to an indefinite sexual harm prevention order and must remain on the sex offenders register for life.
Jake Roberts
Convicted paedophile Jake Roberts was described as being “up to his old tricks” after he deleted an app and search history from his phone and refused officers access to his Snapchat account – which he held under a fake name.
Roberts was convicted of making indecent images of children in April 2021 and was made subject to a 10-year sexual harm prevention order.
Officers attended Roberts’ address in Cilgerran on November 13 last year and his Nokia mobile phone was seized.
14 searches were found on the phone’s Google Play Store for the Telegram app – 13 of which had been deleted. This put him in breach of the order.
Roberts was asked to provide the password to his Snapchat account. He gave five passwords – but each of them failed. The Snapchat account on Roberts’ phone was under the name ‘Jeanette’. This also put him in breach of the orders.
Roberts was arrested, and in interview, he told officers that he had “never heard” of the Telegram app and that he “didn’t know anything about it”. He added that it being downloaded and deleted was “nothing to do with him”.
When Roberts’ phone was further examined, officers found a child sex abuse image of boy – thought to be aged between six and eight – being raped.
Roberts, 22, now of no fixed abode, later admitted two breaches of a sexual harm prevention order, but denied a charge of making an indecent image of a child. The prosecution said these pleas were acceptable.
Judge Paul Thomas KC said the defendant had “completely ignored” his sexual harm prevention order – which he breached “blatantly and knowingly”.
“You were trying your best to disguise from the police that you were up to your old tricks,” he said.
Roberts was jailed for a total of 18 months.
Stephan Leyson
Stephan Leyson has been jailed after a “campaign” of threats and violence left his partner fearing what he would do to her and her family.
Leyson was convicted by a jury on April 22 of engaging in controlling or coercive behaviour and assault occasioning actual bodily harm on February 20, 2022.
The victim had gone to Leyson’s house where they were watching a boxing match with friends. During the course of the evening, Leyson and the victim argued and he threw his drink over her.
She went upstairs, and Leyson followed her. He made “a number of threats” – including that he would kill her grandparents – and strangled her before smashing her head on the floor.
The court heard that Leyson then “appeared to show regret” and began cradling the victim, but then became enraged after she bit him. Leyson threw the woman on to the bed causing her to suffer bruising to her hip.
The judge said that Leyson undertook “a campaign designed to humiliate [the victim]” between September 2021 and November 2023.
Leyson was accused of using violence against the woman – including biting and slapping her, throwing a lit cigarette at her causing a burnt lip, and making threats – including threatening to throw acid at her.
Mr Jones said the victim “struggles to express in words the effect of the defendant’s offending”.
“She was scared what the defendant would do to her or her family,” he said.
Leyson, now 28, of Ger Y Castell in Kidwelly, was jailed for three years for the assault and 18 months, running concurrently, for the coercive control.
His victim was granted a five-year restraining order against him.
Shahin Mustaj
A cannabis farmer was jailed after police found 290 plants at an address in Haverfordwest.
The Albanian national was smuggled into the UK in the back of a lorry by a criminal gang and was tending a cannabis farm to work off his debts to the gang.
29-year-old Shahin Mustaj was found attempting to flee the property when Dyfed-Powys Police raided an address on North Crescent in Haverfordwest on March 13.
A total of 290 cannabis plants were seized, which would have produced a yield of between 8kg and 24kg. The court heard this was worth between £32,000 to £41,600 at the lower end of the scale and £96,000 to £124,800 for a higher yield.
Mustaj was arrested, and his two mobile phones were seized. He refused to provide officers the PINs for the phones and would not identify the incoming callers.
In interview, Mustaj denied the offence and said he “had been exploited” and “wasn’t doing it voluntarily”.
He told the police that he owed the criminal gang around £25,000 in debts for bringing him to the UK, and had agreed to work it off after they threatened to harm his family. He was then taken to the cannabis farm, which had already been set up.
Mustaj, of no fixed abode, admitted a charge of producing cannabis at Llanelli Magistrates’ Court.
At Swansea Crown Court, Judge Paul Thomas KC sentenced Mustaj to eight months in prison.
“What happens to you after that will be a matter for the immigration authorities,” he said.
Dilan Anderson
Dilan Anderson was described as having “a flagrant disregard for court orders” as he was jailed for assault and theft offences.
Anderson, of High Street in Narberth, pleaded guilty to assault occasioning actual bodily harm against a woman relating to an incident on February 1 in Haverfordwest.
He also admitted damaging the woman’s television and bedroom door, and the theft of her Motorola mobile phone – all on that same date.
He appeared before Haverfordwest Magistrates’ Court for sentence on Tuesday April 16, where District Judge Mark Layton sent Anderson to prison for six weeks.
He was ordered to pay £190 compensation to the woman and £85 costs to the Crown Prosecution Service.
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