Andrew Eldred (Image: Dyfed-Powys Police)
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A 35-year-old personal trainer has been sentenced to 11 years in prison after being convicted of grooming and sexually exploiting a vulnerable 15-year-old girl he contacted through social media.
Andrew Eldred, of Alstred Street, Kidwelly, Carmarthenshire, was found guilty at trial of engaging in sexual activity with a child, two counts of inciting or causing a child to engage in sexual activity, and engaging in sexual communications with a child.
Calculated and exploitative
Passing sentence at Swansea Crown Court, Judge Catherine Richards described Eldred’s conduct towards a girl he knew to be vulnerable as “calculated, manipulative, and exploitative”.
She told the court that messages recovered by police from the defendant’s phone “bore all the hallmarks of a controlling and coercive individual”, and said Eldred had shown no concern about the child’s age – only that she was a virgin.
The judge said she did not consider Eldred to be genuinely remorseful, pointing out that during his trial he had mounted a defence which went beyond denying guilt and amounted to an attack on his victim’s character.
While expressing “considerable concerns” about the danger Eldred poses to others, Judge Richards concluded that the legal threshold for a finding of dangerousness had not yet been met.
Messages of control
The court heard that messages sent by Eldred to the child revealed deeply controlling and predatory behaviour. He described himself as her “king” and her “pimp”, while referring to the girl as his “slave” and his “pet”.
Among other disturbing communications, Eldred told the teenager she should have his name permanently tattooed on her neck, spoke about her “birthing” his children, declared he was “coming for your virginity”, and styled himself “the master of disaster”.
How the contact began
Prosecutor Hannah George outlined how Eldred first contacted the girl through Instagram in March 2024, initially asking whether she was interested in personal training. What started as online messaging rapidly progressed to physical contact.
The court was told Eldred groomed and manipulated the teenager, insisting she keep their contact hidden from her parents. In addition to direct sexual contact with the child, he pressured her into performing sexual acts on herself on camera.
Defying boundaries
When the girl’s mother discovered what was happening and confronted Eldred, ordering him to stay away from her daughter, he disregarded her entirely.
Even after the matter was reported to police and Eldred was arrested and released on bail, he carried on messaging the girl.
In an effort to destroy evidence, the defendant deleted messages from his phone and replaced the SIM card before surrendering the device to officers.
Previous offending
Eldred had prior convictions from 2021 for stalking and assault by beating. That offending included going into a former partner’s garden and concealing himself beneath a trampoline.
Defence arguments
Ann Tayo, representing Eldred, told the court her client was a father of three. She said his pre-sentence report contained an admission about why he had lied and allowed the case to proceed to trial – specifically, his “fear of losing his relationship and the bond he has with his children”.
Ms Tayo acknowledged Eldred had done “very bad things” but said there were “good aspects to his character”, pointing to character references that had been submitted to the court.
The sentence
Eldred was sentenced to a total of 11 years in prison. He will serve two-thirds of that term behind bars before being released on licence to complete the remainder in the community.
He has been placed on the sex offenders’ register for life and made subject to a 15-year sexual harm prevention order restricting his contact with young females.
