Lawrence Cooper

Police executed a search warrant at the home of Lawrence Cooper in Llandovery on 19 September 2023, catching the 69-year-old in the act of viewing child sex abuse material. As officers entered, they found a phone on his bed playing a video depicting two young females engaging in sexual activity. Cooper immediately admitted that the seized devices—two phones, two laptops, a hard drive, and an SD card—contained indecent images of children.

Forensic examination of one laptop revealed 1,034 indecent images, categorised as 134 Category A (the most serious), 165 Category B, and 735 Category C, including 53 Category A videos, 31 Category B, and 19 Category C. The material involved children aged between two and 16 years, with one particularly harrowing Category A video showing a girl aged seven to nine being restrained and orally raped. Additional analysis uncovered internet searches on Cooper's devices for child sexual abuse material and incestuous videos. Although other devices were not fully examined due to exceeding charging thresholds, the evidence was overwhelming.

Cooper, residing at Lon Rhys Pritchard, Llandovery, initially provided no comment during police interviews on 19 September 2023 and 20 September 2024. He later pleaded guilty at Swansea Crown Court to three offences of making indecent images of children. In mitigation, his defence counsel Hannah George highlighted his early guilty pleas, previously clean character, and admission of obtaining sexual gratification from the images, despite denying a broader sexual interest in children. She noted his shame and willingness to engage with probation services.

Judge Paul Hobson addressed Cooper directly during sentencing, stating: "It’s plain as day you have a disturbing and long-standing sexual interest in children. You were actively seeking it out. When arrested, it’s no coincidence at all you were in the process of viewing such material when the police came through your door. Such images involve real children being raped. All of that in order that men like you can masturbate." Prosecutor Brian Simpson had earlier described the content in detail, emphasising the severity of the offences.

Instead of immediate custody, Cooper was sentenced to a three-year community order, comprising 180 hours of unpaid work and 25 days of rehabilitation activity. He was required to register as a sex offender for five years and subjected to a sexual harm prevention order for the same duration. The case was heard at Swansea Crown Court, with reporting by Tom Moody for the South Wales Guardian.