In 2026, Liam Hobbs, then aged 27, of Newport Road, Ely, Cardiff, was sentenced at Cardiff Crown Court to an extended custodial term after being officially categorised as a dangerous offender for the sexual abuse of a primary school-age girl and the possession of dark web child abuse imagery.
The prosecution followed an inquiry by South Wales Police that commenced after the young victim disclosed the sexual contact.
Following Hobbs’s arrest, digital forensic specialists examined his mobile phone, recovering over 100 illicit photographs and videos depicting child sexual abuse across Categories A, B, and C.
The investigation confirmed that Hobbs had deliberately accessed and downloaded the materials through the dark web.
Hobbs entered guilty pleas to the digital image offences but refused to accept responsibility for the physical contact, forcing the young child to endure the ordeal of providing evidence and facing cross-examination in court.
Following a contested Crown Court trial, the jury found Hobbs guilty of:
- Two counts of sexual assault of a girl under the age of 13
- Hobbs had entered prior guilty pleas to:
- Possession of Category A indecent images of children
- Possession of Category B indecent images of children
- Possession of Category C indecent images of children
The court heard that Hobbs had five previous convictions covering seven offences, all involving acquisitive property crimes committed when he was a youth.
In a statement presented to the court, the victim’s mother praised her daughter’s resilience, remarking that the child’s courage in speaking to police had protected other children in the community from being targeted.
The presiding recorder stated that the evidence demonstrated Hobbs possessed a deep-seated and long-held sexual interest in children, concluding that he represented a significant ongoing danger to the public.
The court sentenced Hobbs to 14 months’ imprisonment for the indecent image offences, ordered to be served consecutively to an extended sentence of seven years for the sexual assaults.
The extended sentence comprises a five-year (60-month) custodial term followed by an extended licence period of two years.
Release Calculation: Under UK sentencing legislation governing extended determinate sentences and consecutive terms, Hobbs must serve the 14-month determinate sentence first. Upon completion of that term, he must serve at least two-thirds (40 months / 3 years and 4 months) of the five-year custodial portion of his extended sentence before becoming eligible to apply to the Parole Board for early release on licence. This requires a total minimum custodial period of 54 months (4 years and 6 months) behind bars. Release is discretionary and granted only if the Parole Board determines that Hobbs is safe to be managed in the community. If released, Hobbs will remain subject to licence conditions and supervision for the remainder of the custodial sentence and the full two-year extended licence period.
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