Jailed: Welshpool man groomed, drugged and raped teenage girl

Christopher Wayne Edwards, 40, of Gilmour Court, Welshpool, admitted rape, sexual activity with a child, taking indecent photographs of her and supplying her with drugs.

Mold Crown Court heard yesterday how it started when the victim was just 15.

Edwards was ordered to register as a sex offender for life and a sexual harm prevention order was made to curb his future activities.

Judge Niclas Parry said the defendant had admitted sexual offences of a most serious kind which involved the deliberate and prolonged grooming of her by supplying her with class A and B drugs.

He had taken advantage of her and slowly and surely gave her amphetamine and cocaine to the detriment of her health.

"She became utterly reliant upon your drugs," the judge told him.

"You used drugs to facilitate the offences and took the most appalling images of her," Judge Parry told him.

The only real mitigation was his guilty pleas, the court heard.

Edwards previously admitted four charges of sexual activity with the girl, one charge of possessing an indecent photograph and three charges of taking indecent photographs of her, and supplying the complainant with drugs. He later admitted that he raped her.

Prosecuting barrister Andrew Green told how Edwardsgroomed and manipulated the victim in order to have sex with her.

He gave her cannabis and introduced her to harder drugs, maintaining the conditions in which sex could take place.

She became physically dependent upon the drugs and he actively encouraged it.

Defending barrister Myles Wilson said it was an unusual case. The defendant was not a sophisticated man but his guilty pleas had been important in such a case which prevented the victim the trauma of giving evidence.

"He attends court today knowing that he faces a long prison sentence. He has faced up to what he has done," Mr Wilson said.