Rio Thomas (Image: South Wales Police)
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A 19-year-old who bombarded a woman with sexual messages and videos of himself masturbating has been sentenced to 16 months in a young offenders institution.
Rio Thomas had been free for barely a month after serving time for sexual offences against a child when he began targeting the woman on Facebook, Swansea Crown Court heard.
Previous conviction
Thomas was handed 28 months detention in August 2025 after being convicted of causing a child under 13 to watch a sexual act, engaging in a sexual act in the presence of a child, engaging in sexual communication with a child, and escaping lawful custody. Those offences involved him sending images of his penis and masturbation videos to a child through Snapchat.
The escape charge related to Thomas asking arresting officers if he could put his jacket on – when his handcuffs were removed he ran off and remained at large for around two hours before being located by a police drone.
As part of his sentence he was made subject to a 10-year sexual harm prevention order requiring him to register internet-enabled devices with police and prohibiting him from hiding, deleting, or encrypting online data and activity.
The messages
Thomas was released on licence on February 12 this year. By March 11, he had contacted a woman on Facebook who was a stranger to him, though they shared a mutual friend on the platform.
Prosecutor Alexandra Wilson told the court the exchange started as ordinary small talk before rapidly becoming sexual, with Thomas telling the woman he wanted to rip her clothes off. She found the messages “strange” and stopped responding.
Over the following days Thomas continued sending sexual messages and videos of himself masturbating. He also repeatedly asked the woman to show the footage to his mother – despite it being unclear whether the woman even knew her. Throughout the messages he made numerous references to his “tiny” penis and how much his mother would like to see it, the court heard.
Investigation
The woman reported the contact to police and Thomas was arrested on March 15. His phone was seized, and examination revealed he had deleted the messages he had sent – a direct breach of his SHPO. The evidence was preserved on the victim’s device. Thomas answered “no comment” to all questions put to him in interview.
Following his arrest he was recalled to detention to serve the remainder of his 2025 sentence and is not due for release until April 2027.
Defence
Dan Griffiths, representing Thomas, said alcohol and drug use had contributed to the offending and that there had been an element of wanting to “shock” the woman. He added: “There may be underlying issues which require further exploration.” His client, he said, was receptive to any help available.
Sentencing
Thomas, formerly of Glanymor Street, Briton Ferry, but now of The Strand, Swansea, had previously pleaded guilty to breaching a sexual harm prevention order and sending a picture or video of genitals to cause alarm or distress. He has two previous convictions for seven offences.
Judge Huw Rees said there were a number of concerning elements to the offending, particularly the references Thomas made to his mother watching the videos he sent his victim.
He told Thomas that if he thought he was being some kind of “big man” or getting “cheap thrills of sexual gratification” from his actions he was “very wrong”, and that what he had actually done was demean himself.
Thomas received a 16-month sentence with a one-third discount for his guilty pleas, to run concurrently with his period of recall. He will be required to sign the sex offenders register for the next 10 years.
