DOZEN of protesters gathered in a rural community to demand the removal of a convicted sex offender from their village. The demonstration, which took place on Sunday in a residential street in Caerphilly county, saw the involvement of approximately 13 police officers.
According to a spokeswoman from Gwent Police, a “disturbance” was reported at around 12.40pm when “a group of around 40 people” assembled. Officers were dispatched to “disperse the crowd,” but no arrests were made. The protest is believed to have occurred near the residence of a man who recently received a suspended prison sentence at Cardiff Crown Court for engaging in sexual communication with a child.
The protest concluded with the police escorting the man away from his property. Eddy Blanche, an independent community councillor for Fochriw and Pentwyn, estimated that over 100 people participated after learning that the offender had moved into their former coal mining village.
“My view is quite simple,” stated Mr Blanche. “Putting these people in small communities is a really bad idea. The thing with small communities is they are very close-knit and everyone knows everyone’s business. It doesn’t take long for a reaction to occur.”
Mr Blanche also criticised the local council, adding, “It’s a [Caerphilly county] council property, and that’s one of the things that frustrates me. There are young families in the village who are crying out for council houses and can’t get them, but they are moving a sex offender in.”
The protest, described as non-violent, ended around 4pm to 5pm with the offender being escorted out by four police officers, while several more blocked the road to ensure safety. “No one was hurt. It was very loud and the strength of feeling was made known in no uncertain terms. It was nice to see the community come together and protect the children of the village,” Mr Blanche concluded.
The man at the centre of the protest was sentenced earlier this month to a 40-week jail term suspended for two years, along with a 40-day rehabilitation activity requirement, a 10-year sexual harm prevention order, and a five-year restraining order from contacting the victim. His crime involved sending explicit pictures to an underage girl and requesting to meet her.
The victim’s sister, speaking on behalf of the family to Herald.Wales, said: “The village is an amazing community and no one would ever want a paedophile to live in an area where children play. They all got together and protested to get him out of the village for their children’s safety. I’m so thankful some justice was given to my sister as she has been through a hard two years and can now finally have a bit of relaxation, even though he’s still around and it could happen to another young girl.”
