Sex offender cabbie admits rape
A taxi driver, who was licensed for school runs despite indecent assault convictions, has been jailed for fresh sex offences against a young girl.
Cardiff Crown Court heard Robert Wagstaff was given a supervision order in 1984 for assaulting two boys of six.
Wagstaff, 40, from Bryncethin, Bridgend, has now admitted charges of rape and sex assault involving a girl under 12.
The judge passed an indeterminate sentence for public protection.
Prosecutor Ieuan Bennett said Wagstaff, who admitted the latest offences at an earlier hearing, had started working as a taxi driver in the Bridgend area in 2003.
When he applied for a licence, checks revealed his previous convictions for luring two boys to a disused railway line and assaulting them.
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You have a great deal of work to do before the parole board will be satisfied that you no longer pose a risk
Judge David Wynn Morgan
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Mr Bennett said: "It appears that in spite of the checks at that stage, he was granted a licence to work as a taxi driver, and took children on school runs."
Judge David Wynn Morgan told Wagstaff there was a "significant risk to the public of serious sexual assault" by him.
He said a parole board would not consider his release until he has served four years in custody, minus the 73 days he has already spent on remand.
Wagstaff has subject his victim to an "ordeal", the judge added.
He told him:"You have a great deal of work to do before the parole board will be satisfied that you no longer pose a risk."
The judge praised the girl's school for its prompt response after learning of the abuse.
Defending, Owen Williams said his client, who exposed himself to members of the public as a 15-year-old, was "not a dangerous predator" and has expressed remorse.
A spokesman at Munro's Taxis and Minibus Hire of Aberkenfig, Bridgend, which employed Wagstaff, did not wish to comment.
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