GROVE WAY in Pembroke is normally a quiet road on a peaceful estate. But on Wednesday night the tranquillity of probably one of Pembrokeshire’s quietest council estates was shattered by a large crowd.
The demonstrators, around 50 in number, were made up of people from all parts of the estate, and who were of all ages. There were the nearby residents and next-door neighbours – and then there was the local ‘paedophile hunting group’, The Welsh Warriors, and their supporters.
But was the person living in the address targeted by demonstrators, the same person who had committed the offences in the past? The neighbours say that he is, and they have known this for six years, but the police are saying it is a case of mistaken identity – but the police are not being believed.
The police are calling this a “sad and disturbing case of an innocent person being wrongly targeted by this group and subjected to abuse and harassment, based on incorrect information.”
The police explained that the incident has caused significant distress to the innocent individual concerned and their family.

INTERNATIONAL INVESTIGATION

However, the protestors see it differently, their story starts in the United States of America, not in Wales. In 2007 the FBI were engaged in an operation looking into a child abuse image website online. As part of this operation one suspect, of Littleport near Ely, was identified. The FBI had noted as part of their investigation ‘Operation Predator’ that the suspect had been downloading vast amounts of child abuse images. That information was passed to the police in the UK and the suspect, then 41, was arrested.
Operation Predator is an initiative started on July 9, 2003 by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement a division of the Department of Homeland Security, to protect children from sexual predators.
Predator targeted foreign national sex offenders, child traffickers, child-sex tourists, and people involved in all levels of child pornography, from producers to distributors to consumers.
By the time of this man’s arrest in 2017 there had been over 9,300 arrests under the Predator operation worldwide.
In February 2018 he admitted 15 specimen charges of making indecent pictures of children at Ely magistrates.
The court heard that five of the images on his computer had the highest severity rating of level five, showing children involved in extreme sexual practices, including a five-minute video of four children being violently abused.
The defendant also admitted a charge of possessing the 15 indecent images, and an allegation of voyeurism, involving the filming of people in a state of semi nakedness through a window.

CROWN COURT

In 2015, he was back in the dock again. This time he appeared in Cambridge Crown Court charged with the possession of images.
Sara Walker, prosecuting, said at the hearing that the defendant became “nervous” and said “it wasn’t a good time” when the police arrived at his home.
Five category C images and one category B image, showing Asian females under the age of 18, were discovered on the computer.
On January 10 of that year, he spoke to the police again about the images – which included pictures of girls likely to be under 10.
The court heard how he had suffered recent stress with the death of his mother.
Ms Walker added: “Pornographic material was his way of coping with stress.”
Melanie Benn, mitigating, said the then 48-year-old had still not come to terms with the death of his mother in 2013.
She asked the judge to issue a suspended sentence order in the community.
Ms Benn said: “Give the defendant an opportunity to show that he is capable of changing.”
Judge Jonathan Haworth said: “Police officers smelt a rat and discovered child pornography on your computer.
“When you came under stress you extended that to these pictures of children.”
Judge Haworth gave the defendant a four-month custodial sentence suspended for 18 months.
A new Sexual Offences Prevention Order was also issued which will last until 2025.

GROVE WAY

Fast-forward to 2021, Pembrokeshire and, according to all the neighbours, the same man had been living with his family in a secluded house at the end of Grove Way, Pembroke for six years.
Despite reassurances from the police that their fears are unfounded, the neighbours were repeatedly saying that they were at the end of their tether. Our reporter has spoken to people from at least seven of the nearby households who all had a similar story to tell. They had been complaining to the council for years, but their voices had not been heard. Not only about the perceived safety of their children or grandchildren, but because the neighbour they took issue with and his family had been living as one resident put it: “In semi-squalor, unable to put the bins out, and causing an infestation of rats.”
Part of the frustration neighbours said, was that “he” was being “protected because of what he had done. “It’s one rule for them and one rule for us” was the cry of several.
Things came to a head on Wednesday night (Jul 28) when the Welsh Warriors, residents and direct neighbours came together to protest outside his family home where he lives with his partner and grown-up children.
From around 8.15pm a group started gathering on the lawned area outside what the demonstrators believed to be the sex offender’s home. The next-door neighbours, an older married couple, came out of their home and sat on deck chairs to join the protest.
The gentleman was interviewed as part of a live stream organised by The Herald which was watched by 15,000 people. The said: “Its not right I can’t have my grandchildren around because we are worried about him next door. It’s all about protecting the likes of him and the council and police do nothing about it. I have had enough.”

POLICE RESPONSE

Ten police vehicles turned up including several police vans and a dog unit, although the dogs were not deployed. Officers stood in the street and said that a Section 35 dispersal order was in force and if utilised the police now had the power to ask people to leave and not return within 48 hours.
One of the protestors, Jill Smith, was quickly arrested and put in a police van when she went to her car to get a flask of coffee and a picnic blanket. Police said that the 59-year-old was arrested on “suspicion of inciting people together with intention of offences being caused against persons or property, encouraging/assisting the commission of harassment and affray.”
“Paedo out! Get him out!” was the cry from some of the protestors. Police were asking people to keep the noise down.
As darkness fell on the estate, the protestors seemed to dwindle away – they had been told about the dispersal order – but most of them had the same thing to say. “We will be back. The police say it’s not him living there, but we have been lied to before time and time again, so why wouldn’t they lie again. I think the people who have been here for six years, living next door, know the truth.”

SUPERINTENDANT EVANS

Speaking to The Herald, Superintendent Anthony Evans said: “Dyfed-Powys Police was made aware of a protest against an alleged Registered Sex Offender taking place outside an address in Grove Way, Pembroke, at approx. 8.15pm last night (Wednesday, July 28). Initially there were about 20-30 people outside the address, but this then increased to around 50. It was quickly established that this protest was arranged by an Online Child Abuse Activist Group.
 “Officers were soon at the scene and engaging with the organisers and those present. Enquiries were made based on the allegations of the protesters, and it was confirmed that this was a case of mistaken identity – the person they were targeting does not reside at the address or have any links to the address.  Officers informed the protesters and organisers of this fact.
 “A 59-year-old woman was arrested on suspicion of inciting people together with the intention of offences being caused against persons or property, encouraging/assisting the commission of harassment and affray.
“This is a sad and disturbing case of an innocent person being wrongly targeted by this group and subjected to abuse and harassment, based on incorrect information. This incident has caused significant distress to the innocent individual concerned and their family”.
“Officers will be present in the area today to provide reassurance to the resident and to the community.”

‘DANGEROUS CRIMINALS’

Speaking on County Councillor Paul Dowson has weighed in on the matter. Cllr Dowson said: “If I had known about the protest at Grove Estate I’d have gone there to show my support. I live half a mile away.
“That bloke should never have been housed in an end of terrace house with woods and fields behind. Big play area to the front.
“There are local people in genuine housing need that should be given preference for council housing instead of repeat sex offender. This bloke is not welcome on a housing estate in Pembrokeshire which like all estates are predominantly occupied by people with young families.
“We are a pushover for rehabilitation of serious offenders from all over the UK.
“It appears we are a Local Authority welcome dangerous criminals into our county and in particular child sex offenders.”

Pembrokeshire County Council have been asked for a comment, but the Authority declined and referred this newspaper to the police press office.