A 24-YEAR-OLD sex offender has denied a series of offences involving a 14-year-old girl, and has been accused of having unregistered mobile phones and using a social media account not in his own name.

Ethan Rich, of Cwmann, appeared at Swansea Crown Court charged with 17 offences.

Rich was alleged to have failed to comply with the notification requirements of the sex offenders register after reportedly staying at an address for seven or more days between May 28 and July 8 without notifying the police.

He was also charged with four breaches of a sexual harm prevention order – made by Swansea Crown Court on March 9, 2020. Rich was accused of having two mobile phones which had not been registered with the police, using a social media account not in his own name, and communicating with a child under the age of 16.

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Rich was charged with possessing seven Category A – the most serious type – indecent images of a child on October 5.

He faced five charges of causing a child to engage in sexual activity and five of engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child – all dating from October 1 to 3. These charges involved a 14-year-old complainant.

The defendant was also charged with sexual communication with a child, relating to the same complainant on October 3.

Rich pleaded guilty to failing to comply with notification requirements and the breaches relating to the mobile phones and the social media account.

He denied the breach which involved communication with a child, possession of the indecent images, sexual communication with a child, and all the causing a child to engage in sexual activity and engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child offences.

When asked what his client’s defence would be, Thomas Scapens said: “It’s his belief in age.

“He believed the person he was speaking to was a 19-year-old, not a 14-year-old.”

A trial date has been set for April 2.