A devastated woman said she’s been “living a lie” for 13 years after discovering her boyfriend was locked up for downloading extreme child porn.
For more than a decade, Glenn Michael Roberts “made excuses” not to live with her or start a family.
The woman, who asked not to be named, even thought he’d had a nervous breakdown last June – but in reality he was acting strange because police had raided his home and seized his laptop.
Unbeknown to her, they found 147 still images, including 18 of the worst kind, along with 182 videos, 53 of which were of the most extreme category. The ages of the children ranged from two-and-a-half to 16.
But it was only two weeks ago that his girlfriend discovered the truth, and on Friday arrived at Caernarfon Crown Court in time to see him sent to prison for 12 months.
Choking back tears, she told the Daily Post: “I had no idea. I was completely kept in the dark and I feel sick that he’s been around my friend's and family’s children.
“We were together for 13 years, but he was never ever going to tell me about the arrest or court case.
“I waited for him oblivious, thinking we had a future, but now I feel like I’ve been living a lie.”
The 32-year-old from Denbighshire admitted they used to row about his lack of commitment.
“We have never lived together and that used to get me down,” she said.
“We’d argue about it all the time. I’d beg him to commit to me, to give me a baby, but he always said no and asked me to give him time.
“He was obviously hiding a very dark secret.”
The woman said he started acting strange in June last year.
“I remember he was supposed to meet me from work as we’d arranged to go out for tea, but he didn’t turn up and I couldn’t get hold of him.
“I went round to his mum’s house to see him and she told me he was really ill and wouldn’t let me in.
“After that, he started acting really weird and I thought he was struggling with depression and having a breakdown.
"He moved from his mum’s and was living on his dad’s couch, even though I had my own house – and that hurt.
"I tried to help him but he kept pushing me away.”
She said 30-year-old Roberts, of Kinmel Avenue, Abergele, told her countless lies to cover his tracks. She even went away with him to Greece for his 30th birthday in September - not knowing he was on police bail.
“You wouldn’t have thought he had a serious court case hanging over him while we were away," she said.
"When I think back to the way he behaved, he was doing all he could to make sure I didn’t find out.”
It was only this month that the sickening crimes came to light.
“I thought he was depressed, so to cheer him up I booked us a night in a hotel to celebrate or 13th anniversary on April 3,” she said.
But, the day before, she went to see his mum to collect a voucher, and ended up asking questions about his state of mind.
“I asked her why she thought he hadn’t been the same person since June.
"She eventually confirmed something was going on and wouldn’t tell me, but said I’d find out soon enough.
“I started to panic, thinking all sorts. I thought maybe he’d had an affair, got someone else pregnant, given me a sexually transmitted disease. Then I wondered if it was debt or if he was into drugs – everything went through my mind.
“I stood there reeling things off, until I eventually asked if he was a paedophile. She just burst into tears and told me she’d come home that day in June to find her house crawling with police.
“I felt like I’d been hit in the face with a shovel.”
With his court date imminent, she sent Roberts a text saying: “I loved you, how could you do this?”
He replied: “Do what?”
She responded: “Glenn, I know” – and has heard nothing from him since.
“I begged him to tell me it wasn’t true, to explain and help me get my head around it, but after 13 years I got no reply,” she said.
“It’s really frightening to think that I might never have known. It would be easier to get over if he’d died. After all this, I still miss him. At least if he’d have died I could mourn him.”
On Friday, Roberts pleaded guilty to 12 charges of making and possessing indecent images. Mr Recorder Peter Griffiths QC said the aggravating feature was the very young age of some of the children exploited in the images.
Gwyndaf Pari, defending, said Roberts had started viewing porn because of physical and social isolation factors.
“His family wish to assist him to turn his life around,” he added, and said he had made genuine attempts to seek help for his problem.
But the judge said: “It’s impossible for me to avoid an immediate custodial sentence.”
Roberts was placed on the sex offenders’ register and a Sexual Harm Prevention Order was made, both for 10 years.
His former girlfriend added: “I’m in shock. I am distraught and disgusted.
“He didn’t even have the decency to tell me about the court case after all the years we were together. I would have found out through the papers. The fact that I knew nothing about all of this has absolutely destroyed me.”
Detective Inspector Iwan Roberts said: “I am pleased the court has handed down a custodial sentence which reflects the magnitude of the offences committed.
"Glenn Michael Roberts is a depraved individual who must now face the consequences of his actions.
"Offenders need to know that the internet is not a safe, anonymous space for accessing and distributing indecent images. They leave a digital footprint and we will find it.”
see-http://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/denbighshire-woman-living-lie-before-11205902
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