In December 2025, the Offender Database reported that Dafydd Evans, of the Hayes Apartments, Cardiff, was sentenced for running a sophisticated criminal operation from his luxury city centre residence. Evans, a former massage business owner, was jailed for 45 months after a jury found him guilty of controlling prostitution for gain, possessing indecent images of children, and money laundering.
The investigation by South Wales Police’s Exploitation Team was triggered by a whistleblower from Turkey who contacted the Modern Slavery Helpline. Evans had engaged with the man on a travel-hosting website. Still, his online disclosures regarding his business activities and the sexual services he brokered led the man to alert authorities. Using the location data and photographs of the apartment foyer provided by the whistleblower, officers conducted a raid on July 3, 2023.
Inside the apartment, police discovered a living room outfitted with a massage bed, large quantities of sex paraphernalia, and boys’ underwear. A card payment machine was recovered, along with multiple mobile phones. Forensic examination of these devices uncovered WhatsApp messages where Evans shared images of children being abused and coordinated sexual encounters with young men under his control, even offering to travel internationally to meet wealthy clients.
Evans showed a blatant disregard for the law during the proceedings; after being granted initial bail, he was caught hosting individuals at his apartment in breach of his conditions and subsequently went on the run. He was eventually apprehended at a hotel and remanded in custody. Financial analysis of his bank statements estimated that Evans had profited by as much as £40,000 through his illicit massage and prostitution racket.
On 22 December 2025, at Merthyr Tydfil Crown Court, Dafydd Evans was sentenced to three years and nine months (45 months) in prison. He was convicted of controlling prostitution for gain, acquiring criminal property, and two counts of possessing Category A and C indecent photographs of a child. The judge remarked on the exploitative nature of his crimes and the breach of community standards represented by his “luxury” base of operations.
In addition to his jail term, Evans has been placed on the Sex Offenders Register for ten years. He is also subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) and a Financial Reporting Order, ensuring that his digital activities, associations, and financial transactions are strictly monitored by South Wales Police upon his release to prevent any return to exploitation.
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