Sex offender jailed after six-year police investigation

Nation.Cymru staff

A registered sex offender who exposed himself to an 11-year-old child on Snapchat has been jailed for four years following a six-year police investigation.

Thomas Spalding, 47, from Brecon, was convicted of engaging in sexual activity with a child and three counts of breaching a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO).

Dyfed-Powys Police said the investigation began after Spalding exposed himself and performed sexual acts in front of the camera during contact with the child on Snapchat.

The child recorded what was happening on screen and reported Spalding to Gloucestershire Police.

Snapchat subsequently confirmed Spalding’s connection to the account involved.

Police said Spalding repeatedly changed his account during the investigation and attempted to dispute evidence linking him to the offence.

He initially denied being the person in the recording before admitting it was him but claiming the footage had been pre-recorded and played by somebody else.

Spalding also claimed location data showed he was elsewhere when the offence took place.

Investigators established that the room visible in the recording was a flat belonging to one of Spalding’s relatives, who was in hospital at the time.

Officers also seized clothing belonging to Spalding which matched that worn by the person in the recording.

Dyfed-Powys Police’s Digital Forensic Unit used information from his phone to establish that he was at the property when the offence took place.

Police said Spalding produced alternative location data but did not provide the raw data investigators requested to verify his claim.

Abusive emails

During the investigation, Spalding also sent more than 100 abusive emails to members of the investigation team and the Crown Prosecution Service.

Protective measures were introduced for officers and Spalding was subsequently convicted of offences under Section 127 of the Communications Act 2003.

His trial began at Merthyr Crown Court on July 21, 2026.

A jury found him guilty of engaging in sexual activity with a child and three breaches of his SHPO.

The judge, His Honour Judge Jeremy Jenkins, described Spalding as having “a clear interest in young girls on the cusp of puberty” and praised investigators for pursuing the evidence and disproving his various accounts.

Spalding was sentenced to four years in prison with a further four-year extension period.

He was also made subject to a 10-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order and a 10-year Criminal Behaviour Order, and will be required to register with police indefinitely under the Sexual Offences Act.

The Criminal Behaviour Order prevents him from contacting, approaching or mentioning on social media any serving or retired Dyfed-Powys Police staff.

The officer who led the investigation said: “This is a great result after so much work for so many people. It was a real team effort.

“I’ve never experienced an investigation like this. The continued offending, merging of cases, constantly changing defences, and the way that Spalding has conducted himself has been a real challenge.”

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