Regional cyber crime officers urge residents to act quickly if contacted

POLICE in Wales have issued an urgent warning to cryptocurrency holders after officers discovered personal data linked to individuals in the region on the dark web.

Specialist officers from the Cyber Crime Team at Tarian Regional Organised Crime Unit (ROCU) have already contacted a number of people whose details were identified.

Anyone who received an email from Tarian ROCU on Thursday (Feb 19) is being urged not to ignore it, as action may be needed to protect themselves from fraud.

Officers stressed that genuine police emails will not usually contain links or attachments. Anyone unsure about the authenticity of a message claiming to be from police is advised to contact 101 to verify it.

Detective Inspector Mathew Davies, from Tarian ROCU, said cryptocurrency owners are increasingly being targeted by criminals.

He said: “Cryptocurrency holders are attractive targets to fraudsters. I would urge anyone who has cryptocurrency to ensure they are secure online and to be aware of potential scams.

“Make sure you are using strong passwords, enable two-factor authentication, and consider using a password manager. Regularly check your bank and other financial accounts for signs of suspicious activity.”

Police warned that fraudsters often impersonate trusted organisations such as banks, police, or financial institutions. Genuine representatives from these bodies will never ask people to transfer money, share financial details, or hand over remote access to devices.

Officers also highlighted the growing role of social media in scams, with around two-thirds of cryptocurrency frauds now beginning on online platforms, including dating sites.

Detective Inspector Davies added: “Fraudsters may attempt to build a rapport with you online and then encourage you to invest your cryptocurrency in a scheme that seems too good to be true. I would encourage all cryptocurrency holders to learn how scams work and how their money or data could be stolen.”

Anyone who believes they have been targeted or fallen victim to fraud is urged to report it via Action Fraud at www.reportfraud.police.uk.

Further advice on staying safe online is available from the National Cyber Security Centre.

A WEST WALES taxi driver who raped a woman after driving her home following a night out has been jailed.  

Dominic Dalton, aged 30, of Pencader, has been jailed for nine years after being found guilty of rape.  

The victim had been on a night out with a friend in Aberystwyth, when she got into a taxi driven by Dominic Dalton in the early hours of Sunday, February 25, 2024. The victim believed Dalton to be a trusted taxi driver who would safely get her home.  

On the journey back, Dalton dropped her friend off first and then took the victim home. Swansea Crown Court heard how he claimed the taxi meter stopped working at this point, as the journey was never recorded past the friend’s address. 
 
During the ride home the victim fell in and out of sleep. When they got to her address, Dalton woke her and helped her inside, guiding her up to her bedroom, where she fell back to sleep. She woke to find Dalton raping her.  
To try and get him to leave, in desperation, she ran and grabbed a knife from her kitchen, screaming at him to leave her house.   

After he refused to do so, the victim managed to flee the property barefoot, slashing the taxi’s tyres, as she left. She found solace at a nearby address and bravely contacted police to disclose what had happened.  

Dalton left the property in his taxi and parked up nearby. He was picked up by another taxi driver after flagging them down, claiming he had had a blowout. He later drove back to the victim’s home address, returning her mobile phone after realising he had taken with him. Whilst there, he saw that police were already in the area. The court heard how he then made attempts to formulate his story and used his mobile phone to access websites with articles including ‘have you been falsely accused of rape?’ and ‘perverting the course of justice’, ‘wasting police time in cases involving allegedly false allegations of rape’. 

He was arrested the same day and following a lengthy investigation by Dyfed-Powys Police, Dalton was charged with rape. 

Appearing at Swansea Crown Court, he denied the offence, claiming the sex was consensual, but after a five-day trial, on January 17th, the jury took less than two hours to deliberate and unanimously found him guilty.  

On Wednesday 18^th February, he was sentenced to nine years in prison.  

Senior Investigating Officer, Detective Inspector Mathew Nelson, said:  “I sincerely commend the victim’s bravery and resilience in coming forward to report the heinous crime of which she had been subjected to. Engaging with the Criminal Justice System as the victim has in this case takes an act of immense courage that deserves profound respect. By standing up and reporting Dalton, the victim has protected other members of the community too.  I hope this conviction and sentencing brings some closure to the victim after experiencing such an horrific ordeal.  

“As a taxi driver, Dalton’s job was to ensure that his passengers got home safely.   
He abused that position that night, exploiting the victim’s vulnerability, and later went on to lie about his actions. The conviction and sentence passed serves to punish Dalton for his actions, but importantly also validate the victim’s voice.  

“I hope the outcome will give confidence to other victims, in knowing their voices will be heard and listened to. I hope for the wider community, you will feel safe in the knowledge that a perpetrator such as Dalton has been dealt with robustly.”  

16-month sentence suspended as court imposes sex offender registration and ten-year prevention order

MAN in his sixties has been handed a suspended prison sentence after being convicted of sexually assaulting a teenage girl.

Huw Bridges, aged 65, of Haven Drive, Hakin, appeared at Swansea Crown Court today (Friday, Feb 20) for sentencing following a trial last month.

Bridges had denied two counts of sexual assault but was found guilty by a jury after around two-and-a-half hours of deliberations.

He was sentenced to sixteen months’ imprisonment, suspended for two years. The court also imposed 180 hours of unpaid work and a rehabilitation activity requirement of 25 days.

Bridges was ordered to sign the sex offenders’ register for ten years and made subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order lasting ten years.

The offences related to incidents involving a teenage girl who was aged 16 at the time.

During the trial, prosecutor Hannah George told the jury that one incident took place on June 2, 2024, when the complainant was taken by Bridges on his motorbike to a secluded area near Carew Castle.

The pair went for a walk, during which Bridges kissed the teenager despite her trying to move away and telling him she felt uncomfortable. He then went on to touch her breasts and vagina over her clothing.

The jury was told the teenager reported the incident to her parents almost immediately after returning home. At that point she also disclosed an earlier allegation dating from between October 2020 and October 2021, in which Bridges was accused of touching her vagina over her clothing on another occasion.

“The prosecution’s case is that the defendant had a sexual interest in teenage girls,” Ms George told the jury.

Bridges was arrested on June 14, 2024, and later interviewed by police. In a prepared statement he denied sexually assaulting the complainant.

He accepted there had been physical contact but claimed he had only put his arm around the teenager and “pecked her on the cheek” in an attempt to comfort her, insisting the gesture was not sexual in nature.

After the jury returned guilty verdicts on both counts, Judge Geraint Walters adjourned the case for a pre-sentence report before imposing sentence today.