Swansea man jailed 10 years for online child sex crimes

A Waunarlwydd man will spend the next ten years behind bars after admitting to a series of sickening online sexual offences against a child.

Jack Barrett, 25, used internet chat platforms to groom his young victim, persuading them to perform sexual acts while communicating online. The child, who lives outside the South Wales Police force area, never met Barrett in person.

The case came to light through a joint investigation with another police force, which revealed the full extent of Barrett’s predatory behaviour towards the vulnerable youngster.

At court, Barrett entered guilty pleas to five separate charges. These included two counts of causing or inciting a girl aged between 13 and 15 to engage in sexual activity, causing a child in the same age bracket to view images of sexual activity, engaging in sexual communication with a child, and breaching a sexual harm prevention order that was already in place.

Judge handed down an extended sentence totalling a decade in prison.

Detective Constable Gemma McLean, who worked on the case, pulled no punches when describing Barrett’s crimes.

“Jack Barrett used online communication platforms to take advantage of a child, knowing that they were underage. He did this knowing what he was doing was wrong,” she said.

“This investigation, conducted alongside another police force, uncovered the scale of Barrett’s offending, and the significant sentence that has been handed down today shows just how depraved his actions have been.

“He is fully deserving of a lengthy spell in prison. This sentence should be seen as an emphatic deterrent, and we encourage anyone who is a victim of online sexual abuse to come forward and help us bring the perpetrators to justice.”