Couple planning 'brutal' sex attacks on children jailed

A man has been sentenced to life imprisonment for planning "brutal" sex offences against children, alongside his hospital worker girlfriend.

Stuart Compton, 46, has been sentenced to life in prison, while Tracy Turner, 52, will face 12 years in prison plus another two on licence.

Turner, from Roath, Cardiff, who was an operating theatre assistant at University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff, previously admitted six charges of arranging the commission of child sex offences, and two charges of making indecent images of a child.

Merthyr Tydfil Crown Court heard the couple, who dubbed themselves "Bonnie and Clyde", sent about 100,000 messages discussing the rape and abuse of three different children.

Compton, of Cathays, Cardiff, also previously admitted six charges of arranging the commission of child sex offences.

He will serve a minimum tariff of seven years before he can apply for parole.

Turner will be eligible for parole after serving two thirds of her sentence.

Sentencing Compton to life in prison, Judge Tracey Lloyd-Clarke told him "it is clear you were the driving force in the messages" and he "did not accept seriousness" of his offending.

Addressing Compton, she said: "Unless and until the parole board considers it safe to release you, you will remain in prison."

The court heard it took officers several weeks to go through the messages, which related to two girls and a boy under the age of 13 at the time the messages began.

Two of the children were aged eight and one was 12 when Compton and Turner began discussing them.

Prosecutor Matthew Cobbe told the court there were an "extraordinary amount" of messages related to "discussing sexual depravity involving children".

Mr Cobbe said while no contact was made with the children, the messages sent over many months showed a "clear attempt to arrange and commit sexual activities" with the children.

"Fantasy plainly turned into obsession," Mr Cobbe said, as Compton described in messages "graphic accounts of what he wanted to do" with individual children.

The court heard that messages showed Compton was interested in children "aged one to six".

Both Compton and Turner shook their heads as graphic details of the messages they sent to each other were read out.

Mr Cobbe said the pair exchanged messages where they discuss the possibility of going to a festival or camping, so they could "be around" families with young children.

"Turner suggests a family festival, not too expensive," Mr Cobbe said.

In the messages, Compton described it as a great idea, commenting he would like to go to a "hippy one, where lots of drugs consumed leaving unattended girls".

"That's genius babe," Compton added.

Judge Lloyd-Clarke said the messages were "not pure fantasy" and they both clearly intended to carry out brutal abuse, as they had "carefully identified" a location for one of the rapes to take place.

She added their actions had "devastated the families" of the children.

The court heard of "brutal acts" planned for the children in specific locations including a shed and a graveyard.

Mr Cobbe told the court they discussed the "disposal" of a child if their attack had lead to a "fatal conclusion" with Compton saying he would take full responsibility if that happened.

The prosecutor told the court "what began as fantasy became obsession and an intended goal".

One plan included drugging one of the children with a sleeping pill before abusing them.

Mr Cobbe said it was clear Compton "wanted the plan to go ahead".

Compton would press Turner whether she wanted to be present, the court heard, and she confirmed she did, and that she wanted to be involved.

None of the offences were related to Turner's hospital role although she was suspended from work after she was arrested.

Compton also admitted making and distributing images of child abuse by sending images to "like-minded people".

Compton was arrested in December 2024 after a concern was raised about messages from him on a dating app.

He told police he did not have his phone with him, but Turner had given it to a pub landlord for safe keeping before asking the police what was happening.

The landlord passed the phone to police and Turner was also arrested.

Both initially denied any wrongdoing.

Compton and Turner had also both denied a string of other conspiracy offences, including conspiracy to murder, conspiracy to rape and conspiracy to kidnap.

Those charges will now lie on file.

The parents of the children had personal impact statements read in court.

One mother said that when she heard what the messages contained, it was "gut-wrenching and sickening. I lost my appetite and was upset and sick all the time".

The mother said "we stopped walking to school altogether and didn't know who we could trust", adding "we are hesitant to allow them to socialise away from us".

She said the thought "of what could have happened to our child by two people with monstrous sexual intent is unfathomable".

The father of another child said: "The pain they have put me and my family through is incomprehensible. It's harder than losing my mother."

The mother of a third child said she was "furious", adding she was "put in a situation where I have to lie to my child to protect her from the truth".

"In time I hope my internal horror will diminish," she added.

The Cardiff and Vale University Health Board said it would be "inappropriate" for them to comment on the case but confirmed Turner was dismissed from her position in March 2025.

In a statement, a spokesperson said the safety and wellbeing of patients is its "highest priority" and assured patients that the case is "entirely unconnected" with Turner's employment at the health board.