Paedophile Caught in Park Days After Prison Release

A convicted paedophile banned from every park in Swansea was spotted by an off-duty police officer sitting near children in Brynmill Park just five days after his release from prison 👮‍♂️

Tyrone Harding, 46, of no fixed abode, was seen drinking from a can on a bench with a clear view of children playing nearby on 11th May. The eagle-eyed detective chief inspector, who was walking his dog, immediately recognised Harding and called 999.

Swansea Crown Court heard that Harding has been consistently committing sexual offences and refusing to abide by court conditions over the last decade. He was made subject to an indefinite sexual harm prevention order in 2018 after approaching girls in Hafod Park, exposing himself and asking them for oral sex.

The court was told Harding has 16 previous convictions for 33 offences, including multiple exposures in parks and near schools. He also repeatedly failed to comply with sex offender registration requirements.

Defence barrister Dan Griffiths said his client was “stuck in a cycle of offending” and noted: “There is nothing in the community for him.”

Judge Paul Thomas KC condemned Harding’s “utter determination” to defy restrictions, saying the defendant’s “disdain and contempt” for the court would be reflected in his sentence.

Harding refused to attend the sentencing hearing, as he had done previously. With a one-third discount for guilty pleas, he was sentenced to 16 months in prison for breaching his sexual harm prevention order and failing to comply with sex offender registration terms.