Paedophile Sentenced for Online Offences

A 31-year-old man from Bridgend has been sentenced to 12 months in prison for attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child and attempting to cause/incite a child to watch an image of sexual activity.

Hywell Hardman, of Stormy Down, sent messages to an undercover police officer posing as a 13-year-old girl on Snapchat between February 8 and 13 this year. He used a false name and claimed to be 17 years old.

During the conversations, Hardman requested naked pictures from the decoy and sent her photographs and videos of himself performing a sex act. He also inquired about her underwear and expressed interest in seeing pictures of her at school.

Hardman was arrested and pleaded guilty to the charges. The court heard that he was of previous good character, but had faced bullying and left school without qualifications. He is a father-of-two and is currently in a relationship, though he has only supervised contact with his children.

Sentencing Hardman, Judge Daniel Williams stated that the offenses were "too serious to be dealt with by anything other than an immediate custodial sentence."

In addition to the prison sentence, Hardman was made subject to sex offender notification requirements and a sexual harm prevention order for 10 years.