Paedophile who was on run for 11 years is jailed

A COLLEGE security guard subjected a young girl to years of sexual abuse and “effectively bought her silence” with bribes of cigarettes and money, a court has heard.

- JASON EVANS Court and crime reporter

The victim was just nine-years-old when Stephen Hindley began to groom and abuse her, offending which would continue into her teenager years and beyond.

Swansea Crown Court heard that after being arrested the defendant denied any wrongdoing and, after changing his appearance, skipped court bail and went on the run.

The former Swansea security guard was caught after almost 12 years at large when an officer who had originally investigated him happened upon him by chance in Llanelli town centre.

The 58-year-old has now been handed a special custodial sentence as an offender of particular concern.

Helen Randall, prosecuting, told the court that Hindley was working as a security guard at the college in the Mount Pleasant area of Swansea in 1995 when the abuse of the primary school age child began.

She said the abuse took place at a number of locations in the city including in a storeroom in the college.

The abuse continued into the girl’s teenage years with Hindley giving his victim cigarettes and money to “effectively buy her silence” and telling her that nobody would believe her if she told anyone what was going on.

The offending continued until the complainant was in her early 20s.

The court heard that the offending was reported to police in January 2013 after the victim confided in her sister.

Hindley was arrested and interviewed but denied any wrongdoing. The defendant was released on bail but the court heard that police subsequently received intelligence that he was preparing to flee - when officers went to his house they found he had changed his appearance by growing out his hair and growing facial hair, and that he had amassed some £2,000 in cash.