A WATERSTON man has been jailed for two years after attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child and breaching a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) — just three years after being spared prison for almost identical offending.

Terry Hughes, aged 41, of Meadow Way, appeared before Swansea Crown Court on Wednesday morning (July 30) where he was sentenced to a 24‑month prison term. He will also remain on the Sex Offenders Register for ten years and is subject to a new ten‑year Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

Latest offences

The court heard that between September 1, 2024, and June 25, 2025, Hughes, for the purpose of obtaining sexual gratification, attempted to communicate with a child under the age of 16, encouraging her to send naked photographs.

In multiple incidents, he also tried to cause a 13‑year‑old girl to view sexual images. During the same period, he created an indecent photograph of a child.

These actions were in direct breach of an existing SHPO made by Cardigan and Pembrokeshire Magistrates’ Court on July 5, 2022, which prohibited him from having any contact with children.

The judge told Hughes that the new offences were aggravated by the fact they were committed while he was already subject to a court order designed to protect children.

Previous offending in 2022

Hughes had stood before the courts in June 2022 for a strikingly similar case. On that occasion, he was brought before Haverfordwest Magistrates’ Court after being caught communicating with a child via an online racing video game.

At the time, Hughes was already on the Sex Offenders Register for a previous offence. He was acting as a moderator for the game, a role that gave him contact with young players. Between July and August 2021, he engaged in sexualised conversations with a child, including comments that hinted at sexual content and asking whether the child’s parents were at home.

When police attended his address for a routine offender management visit, Hughes delayed handing over his phone. Officers later discovered he had been deleting conversations in an attempt to hide his offending.

Magistrates described this as a “breach of trust” that demonstrated “an increased degree of manipulation”.

Despite this, Hughes avoided an immediate prison sentence. He was given a six‑month custodial sentence suspended for 24 months, placed on the Sex Offenders Register for seven years, and ordered to pay costs and a victim surcharge. The court believed there was a “realistic prospect of rehabilitation” and warned him that any further offending would almost certainly lead to prison.

Failure to heed warnings

Hughes has now proved those warnings correct. Less than two years after walking free from court, he embarked on a fresh series of grooming attempts — this time breaching the very court order that had been imposed to prevent such behaviour.

The fact that Hughes was able to offend again despite being under the supervision of offender managers and bound by a Sexual Harm Prevention Order will raise questions over how effectively high‑risk offenders are monitored in the community.

Public protection

The new ten‑year Sexual Harm Prevention Order imposes strict conditions on Hughes, including prohibiting unsupervised contact with children, banning him from deleting internet history, and restricting his use of internet‑enabled devices. He will be subject to police monitoring upon his release.

The case underlines the risk posed by repeat child sex offenders who reoffend despite court intervention and supervision. It also highlights the dangers of unsupervised online communication between adults and children, particularly through gaming platforms.