Former officer and his mother sentenced for perverting course of justice by burying evidence in garden
A former South Wales Police officer who was sacked before being sentenced to life in prison for online child sex offences has appeared in court charged with further offences after attempting to conceal “crucial evidence”.
Lewis Edwards, 24, from Bridgend, was jailed in October 2023 for 161 offences, which included including inciting a child under 13 to engage in penetrative activity, sexual communication with a child, blackmail, and making indecent images of children. .
He was charged with perverting the course of justice by concealing mobile phones and three further charges of possession of indecent images. The images were discovered after a mobile phone belonging to Edwards was found concealed in the garden of his home address.
Edwards pleaded guilty to the extra charges and has been sentenced to two years and eight months.
His mother, Rebekah Edwards, aged 48, of Bridgend, admitted concealing mobile phones in the garden at his request near the grave of a pet cat after being charged with perverting the course of justice. She has been sentenced to two years in prison.
Detective Superintendent Tracey Rankine said: “Lewis Edwards is already serving a substantial prison sentence for his abhorrent crimes against children. We are continuing to attempt to identify his many victims from Snapchat usernames to ensure they are safeguarded and supported.
“Given the scale and severity of his offending, it is indefensible for anybody to seek to obstruct the investigation by concealing evidence which is why it was entirely appropriate to bring charges of perverting the course of justice in this case.”
Edwards was sacked as a police officer after being immediately suspended when his offending came to light.
The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said Edwards was arrested on February 8, 2023 and while he was on remand, information was received that Ms Edwards had located three of his mobile phones. She moved them from one address to another despite knowing that the police investigation into her son’s devices was ongoing and buried one phone in their garden.
On August 3, 2023, South Wales Police executed a warrant at the family’s residence. Ms Edwards initially handed over just two phones but admitted to burying a third device when confronted by officers. It was subsequently retrieved from her garden, where it had been hidden in a pet’s grave.
Forensic examination of one of the phones revealed Category A, B, and C indecent images of children, as well as applications commonly used by offenders to evade detection.
Both defendants pleaded guilty to perverting the course of justice at Cardiff Crown Court.
Lucy Dowdall, Specialist Prosecutor for CPS Serious, Economic, Organised Crime and International Directorate, said: “At the time that she found her son’s mobile phones, Rebekah Edwards knew of the continued investigation into his offending behaviour.
“In assisting his attempts to conceal further evidence of his sexual exploitation of children, she demonstrated a lack of concern for the devastating impact of her son’s actions on innumerable young people and their families. Her sole concern was for her paedophile son and not for his victims or helping them secure the justice they deserved.
“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.
“The images found on one of the phones retrieved included category A images, the most severe type of child abuse, indicating the seriousness of his offending.
“Our work on this case did not stop with the original conviction, and we have continued to work with investigators to identify where offences were committed, to ensure justice is served.”
Derek Ray-Hill, Interim chief executive officer of the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF), the UK’s front line against online child sexual abuse imagery, said: “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.
“Brazen criminals like Edwards think only of themselves. His selfishness in trying to cover his own tracks with schemes involving his own family is in stark contrast to how little he cares about those children who suffered as a result of his actions.
“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.”