A Swansea paedophile, Tyrone Harding, with 16 prior convictions for 33 sexual offences, prohibited from all parks in Swansea, was observed by an astute off-duty policeman seated in a well-frequented park adjacent to children at play, a court has been informed.
Tyrone Harding had been released from prison for only a few days after his most recent conviction when he was observed by an officer strolling his dog.
Swansea Crown Court was informed that Tyrone Harding had persistently perpetrated sexual assaults and has regularly disregarded imposed conditions over the past decade.
The defendant declined to attend the sentencing session, having similarly refused to attend a prior hearing, and the judge stated that his “disdain and contempt” for the court will be evident in the sentence.
Ryan Bowen, representing the prosecution, said the court that in December 2018, Tyrone Harding was incarcerated and subjected to an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) after soliciting girls in Hafod Park, Swansea, by exposing himself and requesting oral sex.
One stipulation of the SHPO is that he is prohibited from accessing any public park or recreational place within the city and county of Swansea.
The court was informed that on May 6 of this year, the defendant was released from HMP Usk in Monmouthshire after completing his most recent term of incarceration, which had been sentenced the prior November due to his violation of another requirement of his Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) whilst in Swansea Library.
As mandated by the stipulations of the sex offenders registry Tyrone Harding failed to inform the police of his post-release residence, resulting in his whereabouts being unknown.
On May 11, the prosecutor stated that an off-duty police officer, while walking his dog in Brynmill Park, Swansea, observed Harding seated on a bench adjacent to the park’s kiosk and The Hide community centre.
The witness stated that the defendant was observed consuming a beverage from a can and that, from the bench, he would have had an unobstructed view of children playing in proximity.
The court was informed that the dog-walking detective chief inspector quickly identified Tyrone Harding due to his prior knowledge of the defendant’s past and subsequently reported the sighting via 999.
Prior to the officers’ arrival at the scene, the 46-year-old defendant exited the park, proceeded along Knoll Avenue, and continued onto Sketty Road, where he was subsequently discovered and apprehended. Tyrone Harding responded with “no comment” to all enquiries posed during his subsequent interview.
Tyrone Harding, formerly residing at Jeffrey’s Court, Penlan, Swansea, and currently without a permanent address, had previously admitted guilt to violating a sexual harm prevention order and failing to adhere to the stipulations of the sex offenders registry during sentencing proceedings.
The defendant declined to attend the hearing, as he had done when the case was initially scheduled on June 1. The hearing was postponed to allow Harding the opportunity to attend.
The court was informed that Tyrone Harding has 16 prior convictions for 33 crimes occurring between April 1998 and November 2024. His initial sexual crime occurred in July 2015, resulting in a community order for an act of exposure.
He possesses further convictions for exposure, many of which occurred in parks or near schools, in December 2015, June 2017, and December 2018.
Tyrone Harding has been convicted for noncompliance with the sex offenders register in October 2020, November 2022, April 2023, September 2023, and April 2024.
In 2024, Harding deactivated his mobile phone, ceased reporting to the police station, and vanished for five weeks from the hotel on Oystermouth Road where he resided.
He received a 12-month prison sentence for that offence. Subsequent to his release from that sentence, the defendant was discovered in Swansea Library on October 8, in violation of his Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO), which prohibits him from being within 100 meters of any educational institution attended by children. The following month, he was sentenced to 12 months of imprisonment. He was discharged from that term on May 6 of this year and was located in Brynmill Park five days subsequently.
Tyrone Harding received a 16-month prison sentence after a one-third discount for his guilty pleas. He will serve a maximum of half the sentence in custody before being released on license to complete the remaining in the community.
If you or anyone you know have been affected by the people highlighted in this website, 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.