Jake Roberts, aged 23 from Cilgerran in west Wales, was sentenced at Swansea Crown Court for a series of sexual offences committed between the ages of 15 and 21. The court heard that Roberts had engaged in predatory behaviour targeting young boys, including physical sexual assault and online grooming.
Prosecutor Georgia Donohue detailed how Roberts sexually assaulted a nine-year-old boy. Following concerns raised by a family member, the victim confided in his mother about the abuse perpetrated by Roberts. In addition to this assault, Roberts contacted several boys online, using aliases such as 'Janet Roberts' on platforms like Snapchat, to solicit indecent images. He offered cash payments or gifts in exchange for explicit content, including pictures of feet, videos of masturbation, and other sexual material.
One specific incident involved a 14-year-old boy whose mother alerted police in September 2023 during an unrelated visit to their home. She expressed concern after discovering her son had received £320 from an account named 'J. Roberts' and had been recording videos of himself in his underwear. The boy initially believed he was communicating with a girl named Janet, but Roberts later admitted to sending explicit images of his penis and masturbatory videos, while receiving inappropriate content from the child in return.
- Roberts groomed another boy, aged 13 to 16, whom he met while playing Xbox online in 2020.
- He bought the boy games and gradually requested sexual pictures, making the victim feel indebted to him.
- The abuse persisted over several years, with Roberts sending payments for the explicit material.
Roberts was arrested on 10 January 2024. He pleaded guilty to multiple charges, including sexual assault of a child, inciting a child to engage in sexual activity, two counts of sexual activity in the presence of a child, three counts of causing a child to watch a sexual act, and six counts of sexual communication with a child. The court noted his two prior convictions for five offences.
In mitigation, defence barrister Ashanti-Jade Walton highlighted Roberts' early guilty pleas and the fact that the offences occurred when he was younger. She mentioned a delay in the case reaching court, with the most recent offences in 2023, and noted that Roberts had taken proactive steps post-release, including selling his car to fund therapy sessions with the Lucy Faithfull Foundation. Walton stated, 'This defendant is under no illusions. He appreciates how serious the offences are,' and added, 'He is disgusted by his behaviour.'
Sentencing Judge Paul Thomas KC remarked, 'For a period between you being 15 and 21 you engaged during that six-year period in sexual communication with six different male children. The general pattern is you would ask for sexual pictures from them and you would send payment.' Roberts, who was of no fixed abode at the time of sentencing, received a total custodial sentence of four years. He was also required to register as a sex offender for life and was subjected to an indefinite sexual harm prevention order.
The case was reported by Tom Moody, Court and Crime Reporter for the Tivy-Side Advertiser, based on proceedings at Swansea Crown Court in Wales, United Kingdom.