A 60-YEAR-OLD “determined paedophile” who was operating in west Wales has been sentenced to six years and seven months in prison for sex offences against girls as young as nine years old.

Steven Loveridge of Ystalyfera, near Swansea, was charged with two counts of indecent exposure, two counts of inciting a child to engage in sexual activity and a further three counts of possessing indecent images of children.

Loveridge pleaded guilty to all seven charges including the possession of 469 indecent images of children, with 82 of them being Category A images – the most serious rating for such offences.

Described by the prosecution as a “determined paedophile who has an entrenched sexual interest in young girls”, Loveridge was sentenced to six years and seven months in prison when he appeared at Swansea Crown Court today. He will also serve a further six years on license at the end of his custodial sentence.

The full extent of Loveridge’s depravity began to unfold when, upon arrest, he was found to be in possession of two multi-coloured dice along with a pack of modified playing cards.

In a shocking account of calculated offending, the court heard how Loveridge would use the dice and cards as part of a game to dictate the nature of his offending and the age of his victims – which were always children.

It was told how certain colours on the dice would correspond to certain age groups of children, and the cards signalled which predatory action he intended to carry out.

A chilling audio recording downloaded as evidence from the defendant’s phone indicated that the blue colour represented an age he referred to as ‘playgroup age’.

The playing cards were marked with words such as ‘kids’, ‘parents’, ‘follow’, ‘stop’, ‘pursuing’, ‘girl incoming’ and were used along with the dice as part of his disturbing game.

Searches of the defendant’s property and digital devices found annotated maps of local areas where he could encounter children, including playing fields, parks, and schools.

Further screenshots of digital maps were found to be marked with possible escape routes and the locations of known CCTV cameras.

Digital forensic examinations found internet searches for the start and finish times of schools in his local area, revealing how the timing, location, targeting and nature of his offending was pre-mediated to a startling degree.

Sentencing him to six years and seven months in prison at Swansea Crown Court on Thursday (May 22), Judge Catherine Richards said: “Your sexual interest in young children has existed since 2007. In recent years, you have been building up to contact sexual offences with meticulous planning. There is currently, plainly, further risk of you committing specified sexual offences, and a significant risk of you causing serious harm as a result.”

The 60-year-old was first arrested on Monday 9 December 2024, following a report of indecent exposure against two young girls, aged 12 and 13, inside a Home Bargains store on Sunday 8 December 2024.

The court heard how Loveridge masturbated as he followed the girls around the shop, before exposing his penis to them, asking if they wanted to touch it. The girls immediately reported the incident to an adult in the store and Loveridge quickly left the scene.

A formal report was made to Dyfed-Powys Police and officers shared CCTV footage with neighbouring forces to identify the suspect. South Wales Police believed this to be the same man they were looking for in relation to a similar incident involving a nine-year-old girl at Asda just the week before.

On Monday 9 December 2024, Loveridge was arrested in Ystradgynlais on suspicion of indecent exposure and inciting a child to engage in sexual activity. He was swiftly charged and remanded into custody.

Appearing at Swansea Crown Court on 13 January 2025, Loveridge pleaded guilty to the offences committed against the 12 and 13-year-olds in Ystradgynlais and the nine-year-old in Ystalyfera.

Commenting on the evidence seized from Loveridge’s home and his digital devices, officer in case, DC Andy Leonard said: “The handwritten notes and audio recordings made by Steven Loveridge himself suggest that the offences he committed against the young girls in are just a glimpse of what this monster could be capable of.

“While the offences he has been sentenced for today are hideous enough alone, I believe the timing of his arrest was critical to preventing the escalation of his dangerous and criminal behaviour. The reality is, we don’t know how far Loveridge would have gone to satisfy his heinous sexual desires if he wasn’t behind bars today.”

Further digital investigations carried out in early 2025 uncovered a disturbing library of sexually explicit and abusive images of children that were dated as early as 2007.

While remanded in custody, Loveridge was further charged with the possession of indecent images of children and pleaded guilty at Merthyr Magistrates Court on Friday 4 April.

In addition to his custodial sentence, Loveridge has been issued with a 15-year restraining order and will be made subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order drafted by Dyfed-Powys Police’s Legal Services team.

Officer in case, DC Andy Leonard continued: “I would like to thank the victims and their families for their courage and support during the investigation. I hope that today’s sentence and the orders in place against Mr Loveridge provide a sense of justice and that they can feel safer knowing he is in prison. Every child should be able to feel safe in their community and not have to live with the fear of offenders like Mr Loveridge.

“The investigation demonstrated excellent collaborative work from colleagues in Dyfed-Powys Police across multiple departments from the arrest, building the case, bringing the offender to justice and work to draft the Sexual Harm Prevention Order. I would like to thank colleagues from South Wales for their support in the investigation and the CPS for their support and guidance throughout this complex investigation.

“I hope today’s sentence will be of some reassurance to the community and sends a clear message to perpetrators that crime against children is abhorrent, and that we as police will find the perpetrators and seek justice for the children involved.”

Green Man urged to drop Irish group amid Gaza comments and terror charge controversy

A MEMBER of Northern Irish rap group Kneecap has been charged with a terrorism offence, prompting a political backlash and renewed calls for the group to be removed from the line-up of Wales’ Green Man Festival.

Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh, who performs under the name Mo Chara, is accused of displaying a Hezbollah flag at a London gig last November. The 27-year-old is due to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on June 18, charged under anti-terror legislation. The Metropolitan Police said the flag was allegedly displayed “in such a way or in such circumstances as to arouse reasonable suspicion” of support for a proscribed organisation.

The Belfast-based trio, who rap in Irish and are known for their anti-establishment lyrics, strongly deny the charge and say the case amounts to “political policing” aimed at silencing their criticism of the Israeli government’s war in Gaza.

In a statement released on Thursday (May 22), Kneecap said: “14,000 babies are about to die of starvation in Gaza, with food sent by the world sitting on the other side of a wall, and once again the British establishment is focused on us. This is a carnival of distraction. We are not the story — genocide is.”

The group added that they would “vehemently contest” the charge, which they claim is designed to restrict their ability to travel and perform. They said: “This is an attempt to silence artists who dare speak out.”

The charge comes after Kneecap used a recent performance at California’s Coachella festival to denounce Israel’s military action in Gaza. The group has been the subject of controversy in the UK press, with videos circulating from earlier performances that appear to show provocative political statements and banners referencing banned organisations.

While the group has distanced itself from any formal support for Hamas or Hezbollah, it continues to face criticism from campaigners and politicians.

In Wales, Shadow Minister for Culture and North Wales, Gareth Davies MS, has called for the Green Man Festival to remove Kneecap from its 2025 line-up. He previously wrote to the festival’s organisers on April 28, citing concerns over “violent and extremist rhetoric” and warning that platforming the group risks damaging the festival’s reputation.

Following the announcement of the terror charge, Mr Davies renewed his demand, stating: “It’s deeply concerning that Green Man have remained silent even after terror charges have been brought against a member of this group.

“There is a clear pattern of violent and extremist rhetoric associated with Kneecap that has no place at a respected cultural event in Wales. The festival acted quickly in 2019 to remove Meic Stevens over anti-Muslim comments. The same consistency should be applied here.”

Organisers of the Green Man Festival have yet to respond publicly.

Meanwhile, in the Republic of Ireland, Tánaiste Simon Harris declined to comment on the specific case but condemned the actions of Israel in Gaza, stating that recent attacks amounted to a “consistent pattern of war crimes” and that “we’re very much now in the space of genocidal activity”.

The Campaign Against Antisemitism, which reported Kneecap to the police, welcomed the prosecution and called for “the law to be enforced”.

The case is likely to further inflame tensions over freedom of expression, political activism, and public performances in Wales and beyond, particularly as summer festivals prepare to welcome artists with diverse — and often controversial — viewpoints.

DYFED-POWYS POLICE are appealing for information to help locate Gareth Edwards, aged 35, from Aberystwyth.

He is wanted on suspicion of sexual assault and a drug offence.

Edwards is believed to have links to the Swansea area and may be in that region.

Anyone who has seen Gareth Edwards or has information that could assist officers in locating him is urged to contact police via one of the following methods:

🖥️ | Online form
📧 | Email: [email protected]
📞 | Call: 101

Alternatively, information can be passed anonymously to the independent charity Crimestoppers by calling 0800 555111 or visiting crimestoppers-uk.org.

Please quote reference: 25000405741.