A woman has been sentenced to prison for aiding her police officer son, who exploited Snapchat to target over 200 young girls.
Lewis Edwards, aged 25, received a life sentence last year and was handed additional penalties on Tuesday.
Edwards, a former officer with the South Wales Police, is currently serving a minimum sentence of 12 years following the failure of his appeal against the conviction in May.
His mother, Rebekah Edwards, aged 48, admitted to obstructing justice.
Recorder of Cardiff, Tracey Lloyd-Clarke, sentenced her to a two-year prison term today.
The judge mentioned that it was evaluated whether a suspended sentence could be appropriate, but concluded that the crime was “too grave” for anything less than immediate incarceration.
Rebekah Edwards will spend half of her term in custody before being released under supervision.
The Cardiff Crown Court was informed that a search warrant was executed at Lewis Edwards’ residence on 8 February 2023.
Prosecutor Roger Griffiths stated that “numerous electronic devices were retrieved during the police investigation,” but Lewis Edwards refused to provide passwords to law enforcement.
In July 2023, South Wales Police received reports indicating that Rebekah Edwards had retrieved two mobile devices.
“It was communicated to the police that Mrs. Edwards had consulted [Lewis Edwards] on what she should do with the phones,” Mr. Griffiths noted.
“Lewis Edwards instructed: ‘Bury the black one’.”
Initially, Rebekah Edwards surrendered two phones, but was later questioned by the police regarding a report of another device located in the garden.
“I buried the phone in the garden when I buried the cat,” she explained to the authorities.
Mr. Griffiths informed the court that the retrieved device “was a black mobile phone with a broken screen.”
Due to its condition, the phone was “unable to be examined,” the prosecution stated.
“We assert there was no justification for her to keep any of the devices,” Mr. Griffiths added.
Andrew Davies, representing Lewis Edwards, remarked that “very little could be articulated,” but acknowledged that “his guilty pleas were the strongest form of mitigation.”
“He expresses regret for involving others in his wrongdoings,” Mr. Davies added.
Following Lewis Edwards’ sentencing last year, Assistant Chief Constable Danny Richards stated there is “no room” for “anyone who misuses the trust that comes with being a police officer” within the South Wales Police force.
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