A MAN who orchestrated a campaign of rape spanning more than 20 years, abusing two young girls over 110 times, has been jailed. Ronald Richards, 66, was sentenced at Swansea Crown Court on Tuesday (Mar 11) after his crimes were revealed when one of his victims broke down in tears years later.

The court heard harrowing details of the abuse, with prosecutor Ian Wright describing how Richards, raped his first victim at least 60 times when she was under 13 and continued the abuse when she was under 16. His second victim was raped on at least 50 occasions before she reached 13. Both victims stood in court to describe the lasting impact of their ordeals.

One victim told the court: “I can’t remember a time when I didn’t feel anxious or have a feeling of dread in my stomach. I moved away from my home town in an attempt to feel safe. I had to pretend everything was OK, but I have never really been able to be myself.”

She recalled suffering from flashbacks and suicidal thoughts, adding: “He stole my childhood and my innocence.”

The second victim said: “I don’t actually know how to feel. I have blocked out so much. I felt like I had to do whatever he said. The most painful thing for me is looking at old photos of myself from before this happened.”

Defence barrister Ieuan Rees told the court that Richards is in poor health, suffering from diabetes and deteriorating eyesight, and acknowledged that his sentence would likely see him remain in prison for the rest of his life.

Richards was convicted of 14 offences, including multiple counts of rape of a child under 13, rape of a child under 16, sexual assault of a child, indecency with a child, and indecent assault.

Sentencing Richards to 25 years in prison—24 years of a determinate sentence plus a one-year extended term—Judge Geraint Walters told him: “You systematically abused two young children in an unspeakable way. The scars of such abuse are lifelong.”

Richards, from Port Talbot must serve two-thirds of his sentence before being considered for parole. He has also been placed on the sex offenders’ register for life and is subject to a lifelong sexual harm prevention order and restraining orders preventing him from contacting his victims.

Following the sentencing, Detective Constable Joanne Williams of South Wales Police praised the victims’ bravery, telling The Pembrokeshire Herald: “To have been subjected to this level of abuse from such a young age is sickening.

“The victims will have to carry these memories for the rest of their lives. Ronald Richards is a very dangerous man who preyed upon defenceless children.

“The level and frequency of his offending was staggering. It is right that he should go to prison for a significant amount of time.”

A FISHING boat supposedly heading out for a shark-fishing trip was, in reality, smuggling more than a ton of high-purity cocaine worth £100 million into the UK. The Lily Lola, intercepted by Border Force officers off the coast of Cornwall, had been used to retrieve drug parcels from the sea in a sophisticated smuggling operation.

Two men from west Wales, Jon Williams and Patrick Godfrey, were arrested after the vessel was boarded last September. Williams, who had purchased the boat just two months earlier for £140,000, was at the helm, while Godfrey was found sleeping on deck. The boat had sailed from Newquay to a designated drop-off point near the Isles of Scilly, where packages were floating in the water, believed to have been left by a South American cartel.

Law enforcement agencies had been tracking the Lily Lola for some time. Covert surveillance included listening devices and GPS trackers, allowing officers to monitor the crew’s movements and conversations. When the boat was seized and taken to Plymouth Royal Dockyard, officers discovered 49 bales of cocaine, though messages retrieved from the vessel’s Garmin device suggested they had failed to collect 19 additional parcels.

Investigators also found damning evidence on Godfrey’s phone, including a message instructing someone to “delete everything u see and not show anybody” and an internet search for “how long does it take a ship to leave Peru to UK.”

Both Williams, aged 46, of Windmill Terrace, Swansea, and Godfrey, 31, of Danygraig Road, Swansea, denied conspiring to smuggle cocaine but were convicted at Truro Crown Court following a trial. Two other men onboard, Michael John Paul Kelly, 45, from Manchester, and Jake Marchant, 27, of no fixed address, had already pleaded guilty to the offence. All four are due to be sentenced on May 8.

Following the convictions, NCA branch commander Derek Evans said: “This seizure has prevented a massive quantity of cocaine from flooding the streets of the UK and Europe. Organised criminals would have made vast profits from this smuggling operation, but thanks to the work of the NCA and Border Force, we have dismantled a key supply chain.”

The case highlights the lengths criminal gangs will go to in order to smuggle drugs into the country, with law enforcement agencies remaining vigilant against increasingly sophisticated trafficking methods.

VIOLENCE AMONG TEENS LEADING TO CALLS FOR WELSH GOVERNMENT TO ACT

WALES is experiencing an alarming surge in violent crime among young people, sparking urgent calls for the Welsh Government to reassess its approach to youth justice and crime prevention. This growing crisis has led to renewed scrutiny of the Youth Justice Blueprint for Wales, with critics arguing that it is failing to prevent serious offenses, including knife crime, sexual violence, and gang-related violence.

A growing epidemic of youth violence

The issue of youth crime has come to the forefront following several high-profile cases involving teenage offenders. Welsh Conservative Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice, Dr. Altaf Hussain MS, has expressed grave concerns about the rise in youth violence, citing cases such as:

• The knife attack at Ysgol Dyffryn Aman in Ammanford, where a 14-year-old girl attempted to murder two teachers and a fellow student. The girl later told police she did it “for notoriety.”
• Stabbings in Mid Wales, where violent altercations between teenagers have left multiple victims hospitalised.
• Attempted murder in Newport, highlighting an increasing trend in serious violence among young offenders.

Dr. Hussain stressed that the rise in violent crime is not limited to youth offenders. He pointed out that Wales is “bucking the national trend,” with violent crime increasing in regions such as South Wales and Gwent, even as other parts of the UK see a decline.

“Disturbingly, South Wales Police is the only force to see a rise in sexual violence, and conviction rates remain dismally low,” Dr. Hussain stated. “We need assurances from the Welsh Government that Police and Crime Commissioners have robust plans to tackle violent crime and sexual violence so that families and communities in Wales can feel safe.”

Crime Data: The reality in Wales

Recent statistics support the growing concerns about violent crime across Wales. According to the latest figures:

• Knife crime is on the rise across Wales, following a 4% national increase in knife-related offenses in England and Wales, reaching 50,010 incidents in the year ending March 2024 (ONS).
• Sexual offenses reported in South Wales increased last year, making it the only force area in the UK to see a rise in such crimes.
• 1.9 million violent or sexual crimes in England and Wales were closed without a suspect being caught or charged in the year to June 2024, with 89% of all offenses going unsolved (The Guardian).

Additionally, the Crime Survey for England and Wales shows that 0.5% of people aged 16 and over experienced violence with or without injury from an acquaintance, and 0.7% experienced stranger violence, with no statistically significant change from the previous year.

Local perspective: What’s happening in Dyfed-Powys?

Closer to home, Dyfed-Powys Police data provides a clearer picture of crime in Pembrokeshire and surrounding regions:

• Violence against the person remains one of the most common offenses in Dyfed-Powys, with reports increasing year-on-year.
• Knife-related offenses are rising, although the total number remains lower than in urban areas like Cardiff and Newport.
• Drug-related violence and gang activity are emerging issues in towns across Pembrokeshire, Carmarthenshire, and Ceredigion.

The force has warned that social media is fueling gang culture among teens, with platforms like Snapchat and TikTok being used to organize fights and intimidate rivals.

Are current strategies failing?

In 2019, the Welsh Government introduced the Youth Justice Blueprint for Wales, aimed at reducing reoffending rates among young people. However, critics argue that the strategy has failed to address early intervention, and many offenders remain trapped in a cycle of crime.

Dr. Hussain has called on the Welsh Government to take immediate action, including:

• Ensuring Police and Crime Commissioners adopt stricter crime prevention strategies.
• Increasing funding for youth intervention programs that deter young people from joining gangs or engaging in violence.
• Addressing the root causes of youth crime, such as poverty, lack of opportunities, and social exclusion.

“We cannot allow Wales to become a breeding ground for violent crime,” Dr. Hussain added. “If the Welsh Government is serious about tackling this issue, it must act now, before more lives are lost.”

What’s next?

With violent crime continuing to escalate, pressure is mounting on the Welsh Government to take decisive action. The public, police, and politicians agree that something must be done—but the question remains: how soon will change come?

For now, communities across Wales remain on edge, hoping for urgent reforms that will bring safety back to the streets