In 2019, the Offender Database reported that Gareth Thomas, then 27, of Cromwell Road, Newport, Gwent, was sentenced to nearly 30 years for vile and sadistic acts of sexual abuse. Gareth Thomas recorded himself carrying out horrific attacks on young children, including forcing them to perform sex acts on him. The abuse was so horrendous that one of his young victims drew a picture of him with horns, telling Gwent Police officers, “He’s got horns because he’s evil.”
The investigation at Cardiff Crown Court detailed how Gareth Thomas used his “physically imposing” stature to intimidate his victims, threatening to punch them if they did not comply with his depraved demands. Gwent Police recovered video recordings of the abuse that showed the children “very distressed” and “begging him to stop.” When officers arrived at his home in Newport, Gwent, to arrest him, Thomas attempted a deplorable act of deception by feigning a blackout before being placed in a police van.
Gareth Thomas pleaded guilty to 30 counts of sexual abuse, including rape, attempted rape, and the making and possession of indecent images of children. The Recorder of Cardiff, Judge Eleri Rees, described him as “manipulative and predatory,” noting his total lack of empathy for the children he had “haunted and frightened.” The lead detective on the case branded him one of “the worst child sex offenders imaginable” due to the serious and violent nature of his sickening crimes.
As a result of his convictions for these vile sexual crimes, Gareth Thomas was handed an extended sentence of 29 years, consisting of 21 years in custody and eight years on licence. He was ordered to sign the Sex Offenders Register for life and is subject to a lifelong Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO). He is managed under Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA) by Gwent Police, remaining under intensive supervision for the duration of his life. Any breach of his strict registration requirements in Newport or elsewhere will result in his immediate arrest and return to prison.
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