Alfie Given, a 21-year-old man from Ruabon, was sentenced at Mold Crown Court for multiple breaches of his sexual harm prevention order (SHPO), which had been imposed following his earlier conviction for rape. As a teenager, Given had been found guilty of raping a boy under 13 and was sentenced at Manchester Youth Court in 2019, with the SHPO extended until 2027 to prevent further contact with children.
The recent offences came to light in June 2023 when North Wales Police discovered approximately 200 messages exchanged between Given and a 13-year-old boy, some of which contained sexual content, as stated by prosecutor Ryan Rothwell during the court hearing. Investigations revealed that Given had been caught making an indecent Category C image of a child. Additionally, he breached the SHPO by contacting young children, possessing an iPad without notifying authorities, and installing the Snapchat application on it. He also failed to comply with his sex offender notification requirements.
Following his release under investigation in Manchester in November 2023, Given relocated to the Wrexham area in North Wales, where he deliberately ingratiated himself with two local families. He offered to babysit their children, including requests to take one child to the park, and even volunteered to hang out washing for one family, which included a young girl's underwear. On one occasion, a mother accidentally accessed Given's iPad, prompting him to snatch it away abruptly. Both mothers grew uneasy with his behaviour, leading to his arrest by North Wales Police.
Defending barrister Elen Owen argued that Given had previously been targeted and exploited by older criminals, with his home being 'cuckood' or taken over by them, before he was removed from that environment and encountered the families in Wrexham. However, His Honour Judge Rhys Rowlands rejected this as an excuse, stating, 'The fact you had been targeted by older criminals can’t really explain let alone excuse your contact with children in breach of the SHPO.' The judge described Given's actions as calculating, noting that the order was intended to prevent repetition of his 'unnatural and worrying' behaviour, including contacting the boy, acquiring the iPad covertly, and using Snapchat.
Given, who had been remanded in custody for seven months prior to sentencing, received a total of 27 months' imprisonment. This comprised 21 months for breaching the SHPO by contacting children in one family, an 18-month concurrent term for the other family, a 10-month concurrent sentence for possessing the iPad and installing Snapchat, and a consecutive six-month term for another breach. A three-month concurrent sentence was imposed for failing to complete an annual notification on time, with no separate penalty for the indecent image. The case was reported by Wales Updates, highlighting ongoing concerns over sex offender compliance in the region.