Mother Concealed Phone in Cat Grave to Obstruct Investigation into Son’s Child Sex Abuse Conviction

A court was informed that the mother of a former police officer, who had been incarcerated for child sex abuse offenses, interred his mobile phone within a cat’s grave with the intent to impede the ongoing investigation. Lewis Edwards, aged 25, residing in Cefn Glas, Bridgend, utilized Snapchat for the online grooming of over 200 girls. He confessed to 160 charges of child sexual abuse and blackmail, which encompassed 4,500 indecent images of children. His parents, Rebekah Edwards, 48, and Mark Edwards, 51, faced charges of perverting the course of justice due to their alleged concealment of electronic devices. Mr. Edwards was acquitted of the charge, whereas Mrs. Edwards pleaded guilty and received a two-year sentence at Cardiff Crown Court on Tuesday. Prosecutor Roger Griffiths stated, “What was on that phone in the garden, sadly we will never know,” adding, “It must have contained material of great significance to his offending.” The court was informed that police overheard Mrs. Edwards, previously a social care worker for Bridgend council, discussing with her son what actions she should take regarding his mobile phones. According to the prosecutor, Lewis Edwards was heard responding, “Bury the black one.” Mrs. Edwards provided two phones to the officers but initially omitted any mention of the phone located in the garden until law enforcement personnel specifically questioned her about it. Mr. Griffiths recounted that Mark Edwards was present during this interaction, and the couple exchanged glances before Mrs. Edwards confessed, “I buried the phone in the garden where I buried the cat.” Subsequently, Mr. Edwards excavated the phone, which was found to be damaged with a shattered screen. Giles Hayes, representing Mrs. Edwards, stated that her “world had been turned upside down” following her son’s arrest, an event that caused her to “embark on a course of conduct that is completely out of character.” He further added that she was “trying to assist her son who is now in very difficult circumstances.” In sentencing Rebekah Edwards to two years in prison, Judge Tracey Lloyd-Clarke declared that the offense was “too serious for anything other than an immediate custodial sentence.” Lucy Dowdall of the Crown Prosecution Service commented that by concealing the phone, Mrs. Edwards “she demonstrated a lack of concern for the devastating impact of her son’s actions on innumerable young people and their families.” Ms. Dowdall further stated, “Her sole concern was for her paedophile son and not for his victims or helping them secure the justice they deserved.” She added, “The fact that Lewis Edwards involved his own family members shows how far he was prepared to go to cover up his offending, and his continued lack of remorse for his abhorrent behaviour.” Derek Ray-Hill, Interim chief executive of the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF), which serves as the UK’s primary defense against online child sexual abuse imagery, remarked, “Every image or video of child sexual abuse is a crime scene. “The children are real, and the abuse inflicted on them can affect them for life.”” He continued, “Every day at the IWF, we see the results of his kind of offending. That predators like Edwards can now reach children through their phones, when they should be safe in their own homes, is a public health scandal which must be taken seriously.” During the same court session as his mother on Tuesday, Lewis Edwards received two additional sentences. These included a sentence of two years and eight months for an additional charge of possession of indecent images, and 12 months for perverting the course of justice. Both of these terms are to be served concurrently with his existing sentence. Lewis Edwards held a position as a South Wales Police officer when he sent messages to 210 girls between the ages of 10 and 16, spanning from November 2020 to February 2023. Images of 207 of these individuals were discovered on his electronic devices. Edwards, who declined to attend Cardiff Crown Court for the entirety of his three-day sentencing hearing, became a police constable in January 2021 but is currently prohibited from working in law enforcement. Edwards employed a profile picture depicting a teenage boy to deceive his victims into transmitting explicit images. One victim reported that during video calls, Edwards would remain in darkness, revealing only a portion of his face. Edwards instructed the young girls to take nude photographs, occasionally while wearing only parts of their school uniform, and to engage in sexual acts. If they attempted to disregard his demands, he would issue threats, stating he would disseminate the images he possessed or cause harm to their families. Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC bears no responsibility for the content found on external websites. Information regarding our policy on external linking is available.