David Samuel

David Samuel, 39, from Caldicot in Monmouthshire, engaged in online sexual communication with what he believed to be a 14-year-old boy, leading to his arrest and sentencing at Cardiff Crown Court.

In 2023, Samuel began conversing with an account on the Chat Avenue platform that purported to be a boy named Jaydan. The interaction soon shifted to WhatsApp, where the decoy confirmed being 14 years old. In response, Samuel sent a photo of his erect penis. During the exchange, he expressed being 'horny' and asked if the decoy wanted to see him masturbate on a video call, though the decoy declined, stating he was with his mother.

Samuel continued to press, asking what he wanted with the boy and later stating, 'I just have to come lol.' He attempted another video call request and messaged, 'I am going to say bye, I just think I keep bothering you,' before suggesting they 'trade nudes.' The final message from Samuel was a simple 'Hi,' to which the decoy did not reply.

• Attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child
• Three counts of making indecent images
• Possessing a prohibited image
• Distributing an indecent image

On 7 August 2023, police attended Samuel's home in Oakley Close, Caldicot, and arrested him. Upon seizing his phone, officers discovered 11 category A indecent images, five category B images, and 10 category C images of children aged between one and 15 years old being sexually abused. Additionally, there was evidence that Samuel had distributed a category A image to an unknown person and possessed a prohibited animated image depicting child abuse.

Samuel pleaded guilty to all charges. The court heard he had one prior conviction for motoring offences. In mitigation, his barrister Tom Roberts described Samuel as a hard-working man capable of leading a law-abiding life, noting that the offending had resulted in him losing contact with his children and represented a 'serious error of judgement.' Judge Christopher Felstead acknowledged a 'realistic prospect of rehabilitation'.

Sentencing occurred at Cardiff Crown Court on a Friday in December 2025, as reported by Wales Online court correspondent Philip Dewey.