Cardiff Crown Court (Image: Wales Updates)
Last Updated: 3 minutes ago
A convicted sex offender who was driven out of his village after being exposed by a paedophile hunting group has been sentenced again for repeatedly violating the conditions placed on him by a court.
Michael Noakes, 66, appeared at Cardiff Crown Court after admitting three breaches of his sexual harm prevention order during March, while residing in the Trethomas area of Caerphilly.
The breaches
Noakes was found to have been using a VPN – a virtual private network that allows internet activity to be routed through secure, concealed channels – something he was explicitly banned from doing until the order expires in 2028.
His police offender manager uncovered the prohibited activity, prosecutor Megan Eckley told the court.
The original offences
The breaches stem from a conviction linked to offending that began in 2021, when Noakes was snared by the Dank Dragon paedophile hunter group.
He had been exchanging sexual messages with someone he believed to be an underage schoolgirl called Isabella. Noakes sent photographs of himself and offered to “educate” her sexually.
He went as far as making plans to meet the supposed 12-year-old girl from Cardiff at a railway station, though he pulled out at the last moment.
The person on the other end of the messages was not a child but a decoy operated by the hunter group.
Noakes admitted attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child and arranging a child sex offence. He received a three-year community order and a sexual harm prevention order lasting five years.
Driven from his home
Following his conviction, word spread among residents near his then home at Woodland View, Wattsville, Caerphilly. Community anger forced Noakes to abandon the address in 2023 and relocate.
Defence mitigation
His barrister, Pamela Kaiga, explained the toll of that upheaval to the court.
“The defendant had to move accommodation. He was isolated, very lonely and he lives in fear.”
She added: “He pleaded guilty at the first opportunity and wants support going forward.”
Sentence
Judge Hywel James opted not to send Noakes to prison for the breaches. Instead, he handed him a 12-month community order requiring 130 hours of unpaid work alongside a five-day rehabilitation activity requirement.
Noakes was also made subject to a mental health treatment requirement involving 12 sessions. He was ordered to pay £150 in costs and a £114 victim surcharge.
