Ceredigion man jailed for sexually assaulting sleeping teen

Kevin Hazelgrave had been due to stand trial accused of sexual assault by penetration against a 17-year-old girl on February 3, 2022, in Tregaron.

The defendant, who was 21 at the time of the incident, had initially denied the offence and was set to face a trial on September 16, but switched his plea to guilty on the day of trial.

Prosecutor Ian Wright told Swansea Crown Court that the victim was “particularly vulnerable” due to her age and because she was asleep at the time.

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The court heard that Hazelgrave, of Llanio Road in Tregaron, was previously of clean character.

Ashanti-Jade Walton, in mitigation, told the court that this offending was far removed from how the defendant, now 23, had been brought up.

“He’s finding it hard to accept he was that person,” she said. Despite this, she added, he maintained his guilty plea on an unqualified basis.

“It has hit him hard and he is struggling to understand how and why this offence was committed.

“He’s scared.”

Ms Walton cited the significant delay in the case, as although the offence and interviews took place in 2022, Hazelgrave wasn’t charged until January of this year.

Judge Catherine Richards sentenced Hazelgrave to four-and-a-half years in prison.

“The complainant was particularly vulnerable given she was asleep and only 17 years of age,” she said.

Hazelgrave’s late guilty plea – only indicated on the Friday before the trial was due to begin and officially entered on the day of trial – had still left the victim with “all the pressure of the impending trial”, she said.

The defendant must register as a sex offender indefinitely, and his victim was granted a 10-year restraining order against him.

Judge Richards said that there was no evidence before her that the defendant had a sexual interest in children, meaning that a sexual harm prevention order was not necessary or proportionate.