Rebekah Edwards

Rebekah Edwards, a 48-year-old former social care worker for Bridgend Council, was sentenced to two years in prison at Cardiff Crown Court for perverting the course of justice. She admitted to concealing evidence related to her son Lewis Edwards' child sex offences by hiding two mobile phones belonging to him, including burying one in their cat's grave in the garden.

The concealment came to light after police received intelligence from a family member who overheard conversations about the hidden evidence. Rebekah Edwards had recovered the phones from her bedroom and, following her son's instructions to 'bury the black one', buried one in the garden during the burial of their cat. When police attended the home of her mother—where Rebekah was living—on 3 August 2023, she initially retrieved two phones but admitted to burying the third upon questioning. Her husband, Mark Edwards, dug up the buried black phone, which had a smashed screen and a damaged SIM card that prevented access to its contents.

Examination of the retrieved phones revealed indecent images on one device: one category A image of a child aged 13 to 15, one category B image of children aged 10 to 15, and two category C images. The buried phone's contents remain unknown, but the court deemed it likely to contain incriminating material. Rebekah and her son both pleaded guilty to perverting the course of justice. She must serve half of her two-year sentence in custody.

In mitigation, barrister Giles Hayes described Rebekah as of previous good character, the primary carer for her ill mother, and a long-serving social worker who was 'put in a dreadful position by her son through no fault of her own'. She is also a grandmother with an adult daughter and faces potential relocation due to fear of recriminations. Judge Tracey Lloyd-Clarke noted the 'inescapable' likelihood of incriminating material on the buried phone and its effect on the administration of justice.

Prosecutor Roger Griffiths outlined the events, while Lucy Dowdall from the Crown Prosecution Service commented: “In assisting his attempts to conceal further evidence of his sexual exploitation of children, she demonstrated a lack of concern for the devastating impact of her son’s actions on innumerable young people and their families. Her sole concern was for her paedophile son and not for his victims or helping them secure the justice they deserved.” The sentencing took place on Tuesday at Cardiff Crown Court, as covered by ITV News Wales.