Crynant man jailed for child sex offences

A man from Neath Port Talbot has been jailed for sexual activity with a child.

25-year-old Liam Peat, from Crynant, claimed he did not know the real age of the victim, but first chatted to her via Snapchat when she was just 13.

He would have sexual intercourse with the victim after she had turned 14.

Peat changed his plea to two counts of engaging in penetrative sexual activity with a girl aged between 13 and 15 from not guilty to guilty at the beginning of his trial in May.

He has been sentenced to 45 months in prison.

Detective Constable Annie Rees said:

“Liam Peat maintained that he did not know the age of the victim up until the first day of his trial. However, changing his plea to guilty proves that he was well aware of her age and of the fact that what he was doing was illegal.

“This will have caused an immense level of trauma for the victim and her family. We hope that with this sentence they can come to terms with what Liam Peat has done and can begin to move on with their life.”

We never underestimate how difficult it is for survivors of sexual abuse to speak out and report.

But we hope cases like this one provide reassurance that victims will be listened to, treated with dignity and respect, and will be supported throughout the judicial process.

If you have been sexually abused, and you are not yet ready to report to police, please don’t suffer in silence. A wealth of information and details of support services can be found here.