A Brecon man has been jailed for four years after exposing himself to an 11-year-old child on Snapchat while already a registered sex offender.

Thomas Spalding, 47, was sentenced at Merthyr Crown Court after a six-year investigation which began when the child screen-recorded the incident and reported it to Gloucestershire Police.

Spalding was found guilty of engaging in sexual activity with a child and three counts of breaching his Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO).

Dyfed-Powys Police said the investigation was repeatedly complicated by Spalding’s changing accounts and attempts to challenge evidence.

The force said he initially denied being the person in the recording, before later admitting it was him but claiming it had been pre-recorded and played by somebody else.

He also attempted to blame the 11-year-old for adding him to a group chat

An attempted defence included a claim that the video could not have been live because he was “not interacting with the child”, while another involved data which he said showed he was not at the location when the offence happened.

Officers identified the flat shown in the recording as belonging to an elderly relative of Spalding, who was in hospital at the time.

Clothing seized from Spalding was also found to match what was worn in the recording.

Dyfed-Powys Police’s Digital Forensic Unit used data from his phone to establish that he was at the flat when the offence took place.

The force said Spalding attempted to use false location data to support his alibi but failed to provide the raw data needed for it to be verified.

During the investigation, Spalding also sent more than 100 abusive emails to members of the investigation team and the Crown Prosecution Service, according to police. Protective measures were introduced for officers as a result.

Spalding was also convicted of offences under Section 127 of the Communications Act 2003.

The trial began on July 21 and police said Spalding continued to change his defence during the proceedings, with officers producing further evidence to challenge his claims.

His Honour Judge Jeremy Jenkins praised the investigation team for following the evidence and disproving the various defences put forward by Spalding in court.

The court heard that the judge described Spalding as having “a clear interest in young girls on the cusp of puberty”.

As well as his four-year prison sentence, Spalding was given an extended licence period of four years.

He will be subject to a 10-year SHPO and a 10-year Criminal Behaviour Order.

The order prevents him from contacting, approaching or mentioning any Dyfed-Powys Police staff, whether serving or retired, on social media.

He must also register with police indefinitely under the Sexual Offences Act.

The leading officer on the investigation said the sentence was a “great result” following a significant amount of work by the team.

“I’ve never experienced an investigation like this,” the officer said.

“The continued offending, merging of cases, constantly changing defences, and the way that Spalding has conducted himself has been a real challenge.”