A convicted paedophile who travelled five hours to meet a 12-year-old girl at a railway station in south Wales and sexually assaulted her has been jailed for four years.
Samuel Hyde, 35, groomed the teenager online before the meeting and made sexual remarks to her in messages. He lied about his age and pulled her away from the station platform before forcibly kissing her and touching her on the bottom.
Following his arrest, he was found in possession of a kitchen knife in his bag. The victim said she feared she could have been raped or killed by the defendant.
Online grooming and the meeting
A sentencing hearing at Merthyr Tydfil Crown Court on Thursday heard Hyde began speaking with his victim on TikTok and told her he was a 15-year-old boy, before asking her for a picture of herself. She sent back a photo of herself which was not indecent.
The conversation became sexual in nature with Hyde telling the child he had a "big c***" and instructing her to touch herself. The defendant also asked if the victim was a virgin.
There were later messages in which Hyde arranged to meet with the 12-year-old, who sent the defendant a map of a railway station in the Rhondda Valley.
Assault at the station
On June 30 Hyde travelled down from his home in Lancashire to south Wales and met the girl on a station platform. He approached her and grabbed her jacket or wrists before escorting her away from the station, the court heard.
Prosecutor Rob Simkins said the defendant continued to pull the victim and asked her: "Where are we going?" He took her to a rocky area near a bridge and grabbed and squeezed her bottom with both hands. The victim called her friend as Hyde attempted to kiss her using his tongue before "latching" onto her mouth.
The girl said her mind went blank and she felt "overwhelmed". Her friend was on speakerphone and shouted at the defendant to get away from the victim. He flinched backwards away from the victim, who told him her mother wanted her home and she walked away. Hyde turned away and walked back towards the platform, saying: "I travelled five hours for this."
The victim contacted her parents who attended the station but the defendant remained in the area and approached the girl and her parents, before being chased away by her father, who attempted to grab him.
The police were called and Hyde was apprehended following a short chase. He dropped his belongings which included a rucksack, which was later found to contain a kitchen knife.
Arrest, plea and sentencing
The defendant lied and said he was 21 years old but later admitted to the police that this was not true. During his police interview, he told officers: "Males and females get aroused sexually no matter what age they are." He said he was "bored, lonely and depressed", that he suffered from autism and had no friends and family, but he denied he was sexually attracted to children.
Hyde, of Fairhaven Road, Lytham St Annes, pleaded guilty to assaulting a girl under 13 by touching, engaging in sexual communication with a child, possession of a knife, and breaching a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO).
The court heard the defendant was convicted in 2019 of attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child and causing a child under 16 to watch a sexual act.
In a victim personal statement read to the court by Mr Simkins, the victim said: "Since this incident I haven't wanted to leave my home address and have issues trusting others. When I spoke to him online and met him I believed I could trust him. He seemed nice. I am now afraid to speak to others online. This will stay with me for the rest of my life. I shouldn't have to feel like this or be put in this position."
"I think about what would have happened if my friend hadn't called me. He could have raped me or even killed me, it makes me frightened. I heard he had a knife in his bag which makes me feel afraid. It could have been worse. I struggle to sleep at night and think about what could have happened that day. I now only leave the house with a black hoody with the hood pulled up."
"It has really affected my confidence in the worst way. It has affected my life and I'm not the same person I was before. I am determined he will not ruin my life. I will be stronger and go back to living a good life. I'm glad he was caught quickly and will be stopped from hurting others in the future."
In mitigation, Harriet Ealden said her client "wishes he never did it" in respect of the offences, and referred to his difficulties stemming from childhood.
The barrister said the defendant was bullied and lost his father at the age of 12. She said Hyde has issues with social interactions and has "traits consistent with Asperger's" but he has maintained employment for 15 years in printing, hospitality and caring settings.
Sentencing, recorder Dyfed Thomas said the defendant had "depraved ideas" about how he behaves around children and he had pulled the victim away from the station with the "intent" to sexually assault her.
The judge added: "Why you had a kitchen knife in your rucksack to meet who you thought was an underage girl is a matter of grave concern to the court. You have a perverse way of thinking about children and their behaviour, you have no idea that children are totally different to adults."
Hyde was found to be a dangerous offender by the court and was sentenced to four years imprisonment, with an extended licence period of four years. The defendant was also made subject to a SHPO for 12 years and sex offender notification requirements indefinitely.
