A couple who called themselves Bonnie and Clyde have been jailed for planning the "brutal" rape and sexual assault of children under 12. Stuart Compton, 46, and Tracy Turner, 52, sent thousands of messages over two years plotting the depraved abuse of two girls and a boy.
Their sick plan was thwarted when an online dating app alerted police about concerns regarding Compton. Merthyr Crown Court heard the pair were subsequently arrested before they could carry out their horrific intentions.
Life sentence for ringleader
Judge Tracey Lloyd-Clarke, the Recorder of Cardiff, sentenced Compton to life imprisonment on Monday, with a minimum term of seven years before he can apply for parole. Turner received 12 years in jail with a further two years on extended licence.
"Unless and until the parole board considers it safe to release you, you will remain in prison," the judge told Compton. The couple had referred to each other as Bonnie and Clyde in their messages, referencing the notorious 1930s American outlaws.
Detailed planning revealed
Both defendants pleaded guilty to six counts of arranging sex with a child at an earlier hearing. Compton also admitted six counts of making indecent images, while Turner, who works as a hospital operating assistant, pleaded guilty to two counts of the same offence.
The judge said their messages showed they had discussed "over and over again" their desires to rape children. She emphasised their conversations "made clear that this was not fantasy" and that they had "carefully identified" a location for one of the planned rapes.
Denial and restrictions
"You were both sexually aroused by the idea of raping a child," Judge Lloyd-Clarke told the pair. She added that both defendants continued to deny their sexual interest in children and minimised their offending.
The couple must inform police of any names or addresses they use and are banned from working with children and vulnerable groups. Compton is from Cathays and Turner from Roath, both areas of Cardiff.
Other charges including conspiracy to murder, conspiracy to rape and conspiracy to kidnap were ordered to lie on file after the defendants denied them.
(PA) Note: This article has been edited with the help of Artificial Intelligence.
