A 71-year-old former South Wales ice cream man who subjected a young boy and a young girl to a sustained campaign of grooming, sexual assault, and rape in the Rhondda Valley during the early 2000s—involving his late wife in the abuse inside his ice cream van—has been handed a 25-year special custodial sentence at Swansea Crown Court.
Ceri Williams, residing at Maes y Rhedyn, Maerdy, Ferndale, Rhondda Cynon Taf, appeared in the dock for sentence at Swansea Crown Court in November 2026 having been convicted by a jury on 15 criminal counts encompassing rape of a child, indecency with a child, indecent assault of a child, and engaging in sexual activity with a child.
The court heard that Williams operated an ice cream van driving around the Rhondda Valley community in the early 2000s, during which time he subjected the young boy to repeated sexual abuse—some of which took place inside his ice cream van—and also raped a young girl. At one stage during the offending, Williams’ wife discovered him raping the boy and joined in the abuse; the court was told his wife has since died.
The historical crimes remained hidden until 2023, when the male survivor disclosed the childhood abuse he had suffered to his partner and family. Following a report to police, the subsequent investigation uncovered the second survivor, who was female.
Arrested in July 2024, Williams remarked upon caution: “I am going to get done for this – I’ve seen this kind of thing on the news,” before submitting a prepared statement in interview denying the allegations and claiming his accusers were lying. Standing trial, Williams maintained his denials before jurors rejected his defence and returned guilty verdicts across all 15 counts.
In harrowing victim personal statements read to Swansea Crown Court by prosecution barrister Ffion Thomas, both survivors detailed the devastating, lifelong trauma caused by Williams’ crimes.
The male survivor explained that he has been left unable to trust anyone, wishing the intrusive thoughts and flashbacks would “go away” so he could lead his life. Describing waking up screaming in the middle of the night and feeling physically sick whenever the smell of stale cigarette smoke triggers memories of the abuse, he stated: “My entire life has been a complete misery.”
The female survivor described feeling “numb” and stated that what happened to her would never leave her, revealing she felt she would never be “truly clean” and had a history of scrubbing her skin until it bled and bathing in Dettol disinfectant: “My life was taken away from me before it properly started.”
In mitigation, defence counsel Steven Thomas submitted that Williams was in “very poor” physical health, inviting the court not to pass an extended sentence.
Under the provisions of the Sexual Offences (Amendment) Act 1992, both survivors in this case are protected by mandatory, lifelong statutory anonymity from the moment an allegation is made. Any publication, broadcast, or public dissemination of information capable of leading to their identification is strictly prohibited under UK law.
Passing sentence, Recorder Christian Jowett noted that Williams continued to deny his guilt with zero victim empathy or insight into his offending, telling him directly:
“You alleged they were lying. They were not lying. You were lying.”
Recorder Jowett sentenced Williams as an offender of particular concern to a 25-year special custodial sentence, comprising 24 years’ immediate imprisonment followed by a one-year extended licence period, ordering that he serve at least two-thirds of the custodial term before applying to the Parole Board, alongside lifetime registration on the Sex Offenders Register and an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO).
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