In court, it was revealed that the Hereford Paedophile former soldier, Roy Dykes, had distributed photographs depicting child sexual abuse and exploitation to another individual with a sexual interest in children. Roy Dykes participated in sexually explicit communications with an individual whom he believed to be a schoolgirl, and he also sent her a video of himself engaging in a sexual act.
A judge at Swansea Crown Court told the 60-year-old defendant that the market for indecent images of children was driven by the “unhealthy, degenerate and lustful demands” of people like him. The judge said Roy Dykes’ conviction was a “considerable fall from grace” for a man who had served in the Army for 28 years.
Ieuan Rees, the prosecutor, told the court that Roy Dykes participated in explicit internet discussions with an undercover police officer who was pretending to be a minor between May and June this year. During the interactions, Roy Dykes transmitted a live video of himself engaging in a sexual act to the decoy, attempted to persuade the “girl” to engage in sexual acts on herself, and made arrangements to see her.
The prosecutor said Roy Dykes was arrested in July, and his reply to be cautioned by police was: “Well, that’s me f then”. The defendant’s electronic devices were seized, and officers subsequently found more than 400 indecent images, including 157 Category A images, which are images that show the most severe kinds of child sexual abuse, including baby rape. Officers also found the defendant had shared a small number of indecent images, including Category A images.
Roy Dykes, previously residing in Cefn Padrig, Llanelli, but now residing in Grandison Rise, Hereford had previously admitted guilt to the following charges: attempted sexual communications with a child, attempting to incite a child to engage in sexual activity, trying to cause a child to watch a sexual act. It is important to note that these charges were attempts, as no child was involved. Additionally, Roy Dykes was charged with making indecent images of Categories A, B, and C, distributing indecent images, and possession of extreme pornography. These charges were addressed during his sentencing hearing. He lacks any prior criminal convictions.
Alycia Carpanini, representing Roy Dykes, stated that the defendant, who is married, had a distinguished military career spanning 28 years, during which they achieved the rank of warrant officer before their departure in 2020. According to her, the defendant went online to find companionship, not specifically to target youngsters. However, the situation escalated, and illegal activity took place. She said her client recognised his behaviour had been “appalling” and he had voluntarily sought help from the Lucy Faithful Foundation, adding Roy Dykes and his wife had moved away from Llanelli. He was embarrassed at what he had done.
Judge Huw Rees told Roy Dykes the children in the images he had collected and shared were real children being sexually abused and said the market in such images was driven by the “unhealthy, degenerate and lustful demands” of people like him. The judge said he was conscious of the 28 years of service the defendant had given the country. He told everyone in court that he was in debt to him for that, describing the conviction as a “considerable fall from grace” for the former soldier. Judge Rees said given everything he had read about the defendant, he was satisfied there was a realistic prospect of rehabilitation in his case – though he warned Roy Dykes that if he were to re-offend in the future, he would be unlikely to receive such mercy again from a court.
With one-quarter discounts for his guilty pleas and a pat on the back from the judge, Roy Dykes was sentenced to 18 months in prison, suspended for two years and was ordered to complete a rehabilitation course, an accredited programme, and 180 hours of unpaid work. Roy Dykes will be a registered sex offender for the next ten years and was made the subject of a sexual harm prevention order for the same length of time.
If you or anyone you know have been affected by the people highlighted in this article, then please report those individuals to the Police on 101 (999 if an emergency) or visit their online resources for further details of the options for reporting a crime. You can also make a report at Crimestoppers should you wish to be completely anonymous. There is help available on our support links page.