Stuart Compton and Tracy Turner were jailed at Merthyr Crown Court on Monday (South Wales Police/PA) (Image: undefined)
A couple who dubbed themselves Bonnie and Clyde have been jailed for planning and fantasising about the “brutal” rape and sexual assault of young children under the age of 12.
Stuart Compton, 46, and his partner, Tracy Turner, 52, sent each other thousands of messages planning the depraved abuse of two girls and a boy over a two-year period.
Merthyr Crown Court heard their sick plan failed after an online dating app informed police of concerns about Compton, and the pair were arrested.
Sentencing the couple on Monday, Judge Tracey Lloyd-Clarke, the Recorder of Cardiff, handed Compton a life sentence, while Turner was given 12 years in jail, with a further two years on extended licence.
Compton must serve a minimum term of seven years in prison before he can apply to the parole board for release.
Addressing Compton, she said: “Unless and until the parole board considers it safe to release you, you will remain in prison.”
At an earlier hearing, the couple, who referred to each other as Bonnie and Clyde in messages, both pleaded guilty to six counts of arranging sex attacks on children.
Compton also pleaded guilty to six counts of making indecent images, and Turner, who is a hospital operating assistant, admitted two counts of the same offence.
Bonnie and Clyde were outlaws who gained notoriety in the 1930s for a series of bank robberies in America.
The judge said messages showed they had discussed “over and over again” their desires to rape children and their conversations “made clear that this was not fantasy”.
The couple had planned to carry out the acts, with Ms Lloyd-Clarke saying they had “carefully identified” a location for one of the rapes to take place.
“You were both sexually aroused by the idea of raping a child,” she said.
The trial took place at Merthyr Tydfil Crown Court (Ben Birchall/PA) (Image: PA Archive/PA Images)
She added: “You both deny your sexual interest in children, you both minimise your offending.”
The couple must also inform the police of any names or addresses they use and are barred from working with children and vulnerable groups.
Compton, from Cathays, and Turner, from Roath, both Cardiff, had denied a string of other offences, including conspiracy to murder, conspiracy to rape and conspiracy to kidnap, which were ordered to lie on the file.
Matthew Cobbe, prosecuting, told the court their conversations demonstrated a “clear intent to arrange and commit sexual acts” with young children, although no child was ever abused.
“The first threads of messages suggested fantasy, they expressly talked about fantasy, but this developed into an obsession,” Mr Cobbe said.
“Their obsession drove them to discuss over and over the sexual acts that they intended to perform and the ways that they believed that they could achieve that goal.”
The prosecutor said they had been arranging the “brutal rape” of one of the children and had planned to drug the child to aid the abuse.
“They recognised the abuse for what it was, they recognised that it was rape,” he said.
“It was not a realisation that it would amount to rape, instead they were clearly stimulated by the fact that it was rape.
“Compton would press her whether she wanted to be present, she would confirm that she did and go on to confirm that she wanted to be involved.
“Compton claimed that he would accept all responsibility for the acts.
“The exchanges lasted months, they began as a fantasy but they became an obsession and an intended goal.”
Stuart Compton (Image: Copyright remains with handout provider)
The court heard that messages recovered by the police took weeks to go through because there was so many, and showed Compton was interested in children “aged one to six”.
Examination of Compton’s device showed that he discussed his fantasies with others, and would develop his own character in these conversations, “creating depraved sexual stories involving children”.
Referring to Turner, Mr Cobbe said: “They exchange messages where they discuss the possibility of going to a festival or camping, so that they can be ‘around’ families with young children.
“Turner suggests a family festival, not too expensive.
“Compton thinks that is a ‘great idea’, commenting he’d like to go to a ‘hippy one, where lots of drugs consumed leaving unattended girls, great f****** idea that’s genius babe’.”
Some of the messages the couple sent each other were read out in court, with each of them describing what they wanted to do to the young children and each other.
In one message, Compton asked if she was serious about getting involved, and Turner responded: “I’m not f****** about, babe.”
The mother of one of the young girls described in a victim impact statement how they had stopped trusting people after learning of Compton and Turner’s crimes.
“The decisions we make as parents are now different and lead to paranoia,” she said.
“Some days it is very real and other days it is like a dream. We do not want this to define our family. We cannot undo this.”
The father of another girl described the defendants’ crimes as “incomprehensible”.
“I hope what they have done to me and my family stays with them for the rest of their lives,” he said.
His partner added: “Finding out about their crimes turned our world upside down.
“I have always had an open and honest relationship with my daughter.
“I am furious that I have had to lie to my child to protect her from these offences.”
Kevin Seal, representing Compton, insisted his client had expressed remorse for his actions in a pre-sentence report.
Mr Seal said: “It was clear to the author of the report that these were genuine comments from the defendant himself – ‘I have let everybody down’.
“He wished to apologise to anyone who has been let down by his actions.”
A doctor diagnosed Compton with a compulsive sexualised behaviour disorder, which involves intense preoccupation with sexual fantasies and behaviours.
“It is not to be confused with sex addiction,” he said.
He said the disorder did not provide “any form of defence” but wished the judge to understand what Compton suffered from.
He said the Compton had used a mixture of proscribed medication for his back and illegal drugs, including cocaine and cannabis, as well as alcohol.
Mr Seal said the defendant had recognised he had a problem and reached out for support for the drugs and there had been a “marked de-escalation” of messages regarding children.
Nicola Powell, representing Turner, told the court she had ended the relationship with Compton as soon as she was arrested and had no contact with him since.
Tracy Turner (Image: Copyright remains with handout provider)
“She was a lady who, until these allegations were made and pleas entered, was without previous convictions,” she said.
“She had worked as a senior theatre assistant in the NHS for over 30 years without a blemish on her character.”
Miss Powell said Turner had a long-standing issue with depression and anxiety, which led her in later years to abuse alcohol and cocaine.
“She accepts that she had an extremely unhealthy relationship with him, she abused alcohol and he introduced her to cocaine,” she said.
“This was not the support she needed and quite simply, it led her to spiral downwards and out of emotional control.
“By the time of her arrest, she was taking cocaine every day. She thought she loved Mr Compton and he loved her.”
Miss Powell said that Turner told the author of a pre-sentence report: “I am very sorry and ashamed. I’ll never forgive myself for the rest of my life.”
The barrister added: “I would ask you to accept that her remorse in this case is genuine.”
A spokeswoman for the Cardiff and Vale University Health Board said it would be inappropriate for them to comment on the case but confirmed that Turner was dismissed from her position in March 2025.
She insisted that the safety and wellbeing of patients is the Board’s highest priority.
She added: “We would like to take this opportunity to reassure patients that the criminal case is entirely unconnected with the individual’s employment within Cardiff and Vale University Health Board.”