Jail for paedophile fairground worker who groomed victims he met at work

A paedophile who worked at a popular fairground groomed girls as young as 11, buying them food, alcohol, cigarettes and soft toys.

Carl Lintern, 42, worked at Barry Island Pleasure Park in the summer of 2023.

He first came to the attention of South Wales Police after the parents of one of his victims confronted him in person where he worked.

Describing him as ‘unbothered’ following their accusations, they took a photograph of Carl Lintern and presented it to a police officer.

The Child Exploitation Team at South Wales Police launched an investigation and learned how Lintern groomed his victim, buying her cigarettes and giving her fairground tokens and soft toys, before sexually exploiting the victims.

He was arrested at the fairground and soon after, officers uncovered evidence of more abuse involving further victims.

As a result of the investigation South Wales Police uncovered numerous other victims that Lintern had exploited by befriending them on social media, sending them indecent images of himself and stalking them as they went about their daily lives.

He often groomed his victims at the funfair where he worked, showering them with gifts and affection. He would add himself on to their Snapchat accounts before blackmailing them into sending explicit images. When the victims asked to be left alone, he then threatened to share intimate photographs of them as a means of exerting ongoing control.

When questioned about his abuse he denied ever knowingly having sexual contact with victims. He claimed the fair had become something of a ‘Carl fan club’ and they he was ‘trying to help the girls’.

Carl Lintern, of Barrasford Road, Cramlington, Northumberland, was charged with multiple offences and he went on to plead guilty to two counts of possessing indecent images of a child and threatening to share a photograph or a film of a person in intimate state.

He further pleaded not guilty to engaging in sexual activity in presence of a child under 13, and two counts of sexual assault on a female, but was found guilty following a trial.

On March 10, at Cardiff Crown Court, he was jailed for three years and eight months.

Detective Constable Robyn Allen, from the South Wales Police Child Exploitation Team, said:

“Carl Lintern used his job at the fairground as a way to meet and groom his vulnerable victims. He would coerce and control them to maintain a grip on their life which made them feel helpless.

“His criminal behaviour and distorted sense of reality has no place in society. I hope the victims and their families can take some comfort from knowing he is now in jail where he is no longer a threat to others. Today’s sentence should serve as a warning to others who are either involved in offending of this nature or are considering it.”

The Child Exploitation Team at South Wales Police is a dedicated team which consists of specially trained officers who are focussed on prosecuting those who sexually exploit others.