Robert Wheeler, a convicted sex offender who was serving a 12-and-a-half-year prison sentence at HMP Parc for sexually abusing a young boy and girl in the 1980s, has died. He was 79 years old.
Death at Outside Hospital
A spokesman for HMP Parc confirmed that Wheeler died at an outside hospital on May 30, 2026. As is standard procedure for all deaths in custody, the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman has launched an independent investigation. The cause of death has not yet been released and will be determined by the coroner.
Background of the Offences
Wheeler, previously of Maesydderwen, Llandissilio, Narberth, Pembrokeshire, pleaded guilty to 14 counts of indecency with a child. He was sentenced at Swansea Crown Court in 2022. The court heard that he groomed a young boy and girl and subjected them to repeated sexual touching and other sex acts in the 1980s.
Victims Come Forward
The crimes were not reported to the police until 2019, when one of the victims came forward, believing he was not the only victim. In victim impact statements read to the court, the male victim described being groomed by Wheeler and feeling "complicit" in the abuse, carrying the "dark secret" for years. He said his life spiralled into drugs and minor criminality, and only meeting his future wife saved him, though he hid the abuse from her for years out of fear she would not like him if she knew his "horrible secret."
The female victim described the anxiety and fear she has been left with, stating she would never know what her life would have been like without the abuse.
Sentencing and Custody
Judge Geraint Walters, sentencing at Swansea Crown Court, told Wheeler he had abused the children to fulfil his own sexual needs and then lived a lie for decades. Wheeler was sentenced to 12 and a half years in prison, of which he was due to serve two-thirds before being released on licence.
A HMP Parc spokesman said: "Mr Robert Wheeler died at an outside hospital on May 30, 2026. As with all deaths in custody this will be investigated by the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman. The cause of death will be for the coroner to determine."
