A man from Merthyr has been jailed for historical sex offences against a child.
Phillip Harris, 58, committed the offences between 1989 and 1991 when his victim – now in his late 40s – was a child.
The victim reported the offences to South Wales Police years later in 2023 after confiding in his partner.
Harris was arrested and while he was in police custody officers searched his house. They seized a number of devices from which they recovered a number of indecent images including Category A images.
He was charged with six counts of indecent assault of a boy under 16, five counts of gross indecency of a boy under 14, committing buggery to a boy under 16, three counts of making indecent images of a child, and possessing an extreme pornographic image of a child to which he pled guilty. He pled not guilty to charges of indecently assaulting a boy under 16 and gross indecency of a boy under 14 but was found guilty following a trial in March, 2026.
Through his impact statement, the victim told the court how he felt ‘trapped by the memories and trapped by the constant, gnawing sense of loss’. He told the court how Phillips took something from him that can never reclaim – his childhood.
On April 17, 2026, Phillip Harris appeared at Newport Crown Court where he was jailed for 15 years. He is also made subject of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order and will be required to register as a sex offender.
Detective Constable Leah Williams, who led the investigation, said: “I would like to commend the bravery of the victim in this case who was taken through a difficult trial process by a man who preyed on him as a child.
“Whilst the trauma of the experience all those years ago remain with him, I hope the justice he now has allows him to take important steps forward in his life.
“This case demonstrates that it is never too late to report a crime of this nature. We take all reports seriously and investigate them thoroughly, with the aim of securing justice for victims.”
