In 2019, the Offender Database reported that Ross Wesgate, then 40, of Tom Mann Close, Newport, Gwent, avoided an immediate prison sentence after being snared in an undercover police sting. Wesgate believed he was communicating with a 12-year-old boy named “James,” but he was actually messaging an undercover online operative.
The investigation revealed that Wesgate used Facebook and Snapchat to target the “child” in April 2019. The prosecution emphasised that within just two days, Wesgate had moved to explicit sexual comments. He “dishonestly” claimed to be 30 years old and “callously” encouraged the boy to “bunk off school” to meet him in a hotel room or at his house, even offering to pick him up in a car.
During the hearing at Newport Crown Court, it was reported that Wesgate discussed a “vile” erotic dream he wanted to carry out with the boy. The court heard that Wesgate had a previous caution for child abduction, along with convictions for theft and fraud. Despite the “serious” nature of the grooming, Wesgate was spared an immediate custodial sentence.
Recorder Carl Harrison emphasised that while the communications were “depraved,” he would sentence Wesgate to a three-year community order. This included 240 hours of unpaid work, 30 days of rehabilitation activity, and 35 sessions of the Horizon sex offender programme. Wesgate was also ordered to pay £740 in costs and a victim surcharge.
As a result of his conviction for attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child, Ross Wesgate must register as a sex offender for five years. He was also made the subject of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) for the same period. He is managed under Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA) by Gwent Police, ensuring his digital behaviour and activities in Newport are strictly monitored. Any attempt to contact minors or breach his SHPO will result in his immediate arrest.
UPDATE 2026
Ross Wesgate is out of prison and looking for a new “friend”. You have been warned.
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