Porthcawl Man Jailed After Breaching Child Protection Orders

A 54-year-old milkman from Porthcawl has been jailed after breaching the terms of his suspended sentence for attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child. ⚖️

Stephen Ricketts, of Mary Street, was originally sentenced in June 2023 to eight months in prison, suspended for 24 months, after admitting to sending inappropriate messages to what he believed was a 13-year-old girl but was actually a decoy account. During those exchanges, he sent an explicit image and requested indecent photos in return.

Cardiff Crown Court heard that Ricketts violated his sexual harm prevention order by deleting his internet history and failing to register mobile phones with police as required.

Prosecutor Abigail Jackson told the court: “No internet history was available. He denied deleting his history but said he had been carrying out internet searches using a voice control feature which did not record history.”

Defence barrister Rose Gladwell argued the breaches stemmed from “poor organisation and emotional instability” rather than intentional criminality. She highlighted Ricketts’ difficult circumstances, noting: “His life has been marked by trauma which he has only recently begun to acknowledge. He works unsociable hours and it is not a glamorous job but he has held it down despite the isolation it brings him.”

Judge Richard Kember acknowledged Ricketts’ personal challenges, stating: “I take into account that you had lost your temporary accommodation and had become homeless. You had lost contact with your family and had medical issues including arthritis, anxiety and depression.”

However, the judge noted that Ricketts had been assessed as posing a high risk of harm to children and had a history of trying to “deceive professionals.” He activated four months of the original suspended sentence and added a further 10 months, resulting in a total prison term of 14 months.