More than two months after his court admission of the charges, a Pentwyn paedophile Simon Lancaster had not informed his boss of his conviction for obscene photographs. A judge informed Simon Lancaster from Cardiff that “anybody with any sense whatsoever” would come clean before police arrived at his employment.
On June 11, the 44-year-old, Simon Lancaster, admitted guilt on two counts of having obscene pictures. While one image fell into Category B and three into Category C, none of the photographs fit Category A, the most severe type. From January 2019 until November 2022, Lancaster of Hillrise in Pentwyn committed the offences.
Lancaster appeared at Cardiff Magistrates’ Court dressed in a beautiful suit to be sentenced on Wednesday. Simon Lancaster said, “When it’s necessary,” when District Judge Stephen Harmes asked when he intended to tell his company about his offences. The judge answered, “Okay. Well, given a sexual harm prevention order, it will be essential when police knock on the door to have software in your computer in working order. Thus, Anyone with any sense would get ahead of that and notify their company. You want police showing up at your place of employment and declaring you to be a sex offender. They could have customers right there.
Simon Lancasterworks in Treforest, and the court heard that he has no past convictions. Judge Harmes said, following reading the pre-sentence report of the probation service, “I agree with the report’s recommendation. I won’t be sending you not to prison. I will impose 25 days of rehabilitation activities and a 24-month community order since I believe there are issues in the report that call for attention.”
The judge said that although Lancaster would be “absolutely right” to undertake unpaid work, he thought this would interfere with his work and rehabilitation activity, so he fined £1,000 instead. At a rate of £200 per month, Lancaster was also instructed to pay a £114 victim services surcharge and £85 in prosecution fees. “You will have to have your employer put some software on any computer in work,” Judge Harmes remarked. “I must close the door somewhat as the temptation will be present.
“You seem to have been let off too readily. You cannot do what you cannot do now; what you have done is quite serious. You won’t have this kind of forgiveness and be able to reconstruct your life and carry on working twice. Should it repeat, you will find yourself behind bars. Do you get it?” Simon Lancaster nodded and confirmed he had done.
The gadgets Simon Lancaster’s confiscated by police will be destroyed. For five years, he will be subject to police notification procedures.
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