Paedophile Jailed After Dice Game Targeted Children

A 60-year-old man from Ystalyfera has been sentenced to six years and seven months in prison for sex offences against girls as young as nine years old.

Steven Loveridge pleaded guilty to seven charges including two counts of indecent exposure, two counts of inciting a child to engage in sexual activity, and three counts of possessing 469 indecent images of children – 82 of which were Category A, the most serious rating.

The court heard shocking details of how Loveridge used multi-coloured dice and modified playing cards as part of a calculated game to dictate his offending and target victims. Certain colours on the dice corresponded to different age groups of children, whilst the cards were marked with words such as ‘kids’, ‘parents’, ‘follow’, ‘stop’, ‘pursuing’, and ‘girl incoming’.

Police discovered annotated maps of local areas including playing fields, parks and schools, along with marked escape routes and CCTV camera locations. Digital examinations revealed internet searches for school start and finish times, showing the premeditated nature of his crimes.

Loveridge was first arrested following an incident at Home Bargains in Ystradgynlais on 8 December 2024, where he masturbated whilst following two girls aged 12 and 13 around the shop before exposing himself and asking if they wanted to touch him. This was linked to a similar incident involving a nine-year-old girl at Asda in Ystalyfera the week before.

Judge Catherine Richards said: “Your sexual interest in young children has existed since 2007. In recent years, you have been building up to contact sexual offences with meticulous planning. There is currently, plainly, further risk of you committing specified sexual offences, and a significant risk of you causing serious harm as a result.”

DC Andy Leonard, officer in case, said: “The handwritten notes and audio recordings made by Steven Loveridge himself suggest that the offences he committed against the young girls in Ystradgynlais and Ystalyfera are just a glimpse of what this monster could be capable of. While the offences he has been sentenced for today are hideous enough alone, I believe the timing of his arrest was critical to preventing the escalation of his dangerous and criminal behaviour. The reality is, we don’t know how far Loveridge would have gone to satisfy his heinous sexual desires if he wasn’t behind bars today.”

DC Leonard continued: “I would like to thank the victims and their families for their courage and support during the investigation. I hope that today’s sentence and the orders in place against Mr Loveridge provide a sense of justice and that they can feel safer knowing he is in prison. Every child should be able to feel safe in their community and not have to live with the fear of offenders like Mr Loveridge. I hope today’s sentence will be of some reassurance to the community and sends a clear message to perpetrators that crime against children is abhorrent, and that we as police will find the perpetrators and seek justice for the children involved.”

Loveridge will serve six years and seven months in prison followed by a further six years on licence. He has also been issued with a 15-year restraining order and will be subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order.