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Social media used to groom children young as six

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CHILDREN as young as six in Wales have been targeted across an array of online platforms in the first year following the introduction of anti-grooming laws.

A law of Sexual Communication with a Child came into effect in England and Wales on April 3, 2017, after an NSPCC campaign, and in the first year a total of 3,171 crimes were recorded by police forces – amounting to nine grooming offences per day.

A total of 274 offences were recorded across the four Welsh police forces in the same period.

More than half of the offences in Wales were logged by South Wales Police (158) with 53 in North Wales and 44 in the Gwent force area.

Dyfed-Powys Police supplied data for the period between October 2017 and April 2018 when 19 offences were recorded.

In Wales, grooming offences were recorded on 23 different platforms, with Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat comprising the top three most-commonly used with more than 120 taking place using those platforms alone.

Ninety-one crimes were reported in Wales against boys and girls aged between 12 and 15, while 56 offences were recorded against children aged 11 and under. The youngest victim recorded was just six years old.

Following the NSPCC’s #WildWestWeb campaign, the UK Government’s digital secretary Matt Hancock announced that laws will be brought in to regulate social networks, to keep children safe and prevent harms such as grooming.

The charity is now campaigning to ensure those laws are sufficiently robust to prevent grooming and to truly keep children safe.

It is calling on Government Create mandatory safety rules that social networks are legally required to follow; Establish an independent regulator to enforce safety laws and fine non-compliant sites; Require social media sites to publish annual safety reports; Force platforms to develop technology to detect grooming using algorithms.

It comes ahead of the charity’s annual flagship conference How Safe Are Our Children? which begins on Wednesday June 20 in London and has the theme Growing Up Online.

Contact offences such as rape and sexual assault were among those recorded in connection with grooming offences.

Mared Parry, from North Wales, was sent sexual messages from men 10 years older than her on Facebook when she was aged just 14.

Mared, who has waived her right to anonymity, was groomed to send semi-naked pictures to them.

She said: “At the beginning it was messages like ‘Hey, how are you?’ But as the weeks went on, they started sending messages that were more and more sexual. It was so subtle; that’s why it is so easy for an online chat to slip into being so wrong.

“If I didn’t reply or speak the way they wanted me to, then they would say: ‘You’re just too immature for me’. They were so manipulative, but you don’t even notice it.

“Looking back at it now, it’s scary to think that I sent semi-naked pictures to older guys. It could have gone a lot further.”

Peter Wanless, NSPCC chief executive, said: “These numbers are far higher than we had predicted, and every single sexual message from an adult to a child can have a huge impact for years to come.

“Social networks have been self-regulated for a decade and it’s absolutely clear that children have been harmed as a result.

“I urge digital secretary Matt Hancock to follow through on his promise and introduce safety rules backed up in law and enforced by an independent regulator with fining powers.

“Social networks must be forced to design extra protections for children into their platforms, including algorithms to detect grooming to prevent abuse from escalating.”

In Wales, NSPCC Cymru has called for the Welsh Government to co-ordinate and progress efforts to keep children as safe in their online worlds as they are offline.

Last year, Welsh Government announced plans to produce a children and young persons’ online safety action plan.

The NSPCC hopes it will deliver practical help and support for schools, parents and others in Wales involved in child protection online when it is published.

How Safe Are Our Children? takes place at the Queen Elizabeth II Centre, in Westminster, London on June 20-21.

 

Crime

Dock teen remanded after trespassing on railway line and blocking train

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Teen admitted obstructing engine at station as court orders probation report

A TEENAGER from Pembroke Dock has been remanded in custody after admitting trespassing on the railway line and obstructing a train in Haverfordwest.

Jaylene Bamford, aged 18, appeared before magistrates sitting at Haverfordwest Magistrates’ Court via video link from prison, where she pleaded guilty to the offence.

The court heard Bamford, of Britannia Drive, Pembroke Dock, was arrested on January 14 after being found on the tracks at Haverfordwest railway station in the Cartlett area.

Prosecutors said she had trespassed onto the railway line and obstructed an engine, bringing it to a halt.

Magistrates remanded Bamford in custody ahead of sentencing to allow a full probation report to be prepared.

She is due to be sentenced at Haverfordwest Magistrates’ Court on February 16.

 

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Crime

Marloes woman nearly three times drink-drive limit after being stopped in Yorkshire

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Witness saw pickup blocking house before police were called

A 56-YEAR-OLD woman from Marloes has admitted drink-driving after being found almost three times over the legal limit while behind the wheel of her pickup truck.

Magistrates sitting at Haverfordwest Magistrates’ Court heard that Elizabeth Miles had been seen driving her Isuzu vehicle down a cul-de-sac in Yorkshire at around 6:00pm on December 10.

Prosecutor Nia James said there were footpaths on both sides of the road and residents quickly became concerned about her behaviour.

“A lady who lived in the street noticed the defendant’s car blocking the front of her house,” she told the court.

“She went up to the defendant to ask if she was ok, and the defendant replied no, she was ‘b*******’ and was driving back to Wales.”

After smelling alcohol coming from inside the vehicle, the witness returned home and contacted police.

While on the phone, she could see Miles continuing to manoeuvre the pickup backwards and forwards before mounting the kerb. Officers asked the caller to try to remove the keys for safety reasons.

“Elizabeth Miles handed the keys over without question,” said Ms James. “But it was obvious she was having difficulty seeing her phone.”

When officers arrived, they found an empty wine bottle in the vehicle’s footwell. Miles was described as extremely unsteady on her feet, with slurred speech.

Miles, of East End, Marloes, pleaded guilty to drink-driving.

Her barrister, Caitlin Jones KC, told magistrates that earlier that day Miles had been visiting her mother at a care home near Hull and had not intended to attempt the full journey back to Wales.

“She planned to stop at a service station hotel,” she said. “She’s deeply ashamed and embarrassed to come before you today, and is grateful nobody was hurt. She understands the outcome could have been much worse.”

Magistrates disqualified Miles from driving for two years. She was fined £1,846 and ordered to pay a £738 court surcharge and £85 costs.

 

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Crime

Moped crashes into neighbour’s door after driver downs half a bottle of vodka

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A DRUNKEN man smashed his moped through a neighbour’s front door after drinking half a bottle of vodka, a court has heard.

Police were called to an address in Vivian Drive, Hakin, shortly before 10:30pm on September 29 following reports that Delan Gibson was experiencing what callers described as a mental health episode.

Prosecutor Nia James told Haverfordwest Magistrates’ Court that Gibson had been “shouting and throwing things around the property” before leaving the area on a white moped.

Officers were unable to locate him at first and left the scene. However, around thirty minutes later, police received a further 999 call reporting that the 24-year-old had returned and crashed the moped into a neighbour’s front door.

During interview, Gibson admitted he had tried to mount a high kerb outside his address.

“He said he needed enough momentum to get over it,” the prosecutor said. “But after drinking half a bottle of vodka, he was so drunk that he missed the kerb. He then over-compensated by accelerating and crashed into the neighbour’s door, causing £1,430 worth of damage.”

Breathalyser tests later showed 74 micrograms of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath, more than double the legal limit of 35.

The court heard the neighbour had already experienced ongoing issues with Gibson’s behaviour over several years.

“The neighbour is very concerned for the safety of her family should he return to the property,” said Ms James. “His behaviour has continued over a four-year period and it has left her feeling persistently anxious with an overwhelming sense of dread.

“That night she was very, very scared, particularly when the moped drove into her front door.”

Gibson, of Marina View, Vivian Drive, pleaded guilty to drink-driving and causing criminal damage.

Defence solicitor Jess Hill said the incident was not deliberate and her client was deeply remorseful.

“This was not a targeted incident and was not intentional,” she said. “He drove while intoxicated, missed the turning and drove into the front door. He apologised to the homeowner as soon as she came out.”

The court heard Gibson has since stopped drinking and engaged with the Dyfed Drug and Alcohol Service.

After considering a probation report, magistrates imposed a 12-month community order. He must complete 15 rehabilitation activity days, 80 hours of unpaid work and a 90-day alcohol monitoring requirement.

He was also ordered to pay £1,430 compensation, a £114 court surcharge and £85 costs, and was banned from driving for 17 months.

 

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