Swansea Predator Who Stalked Women In Shops Jailed After Being Released Just One Day Earlier

A man who spent his time following women around shops in Swansea before carrying out indecent acts has been locked up again after being released from prison just one day before his offending began.

Martin Roberts had barely been out of jail for 24 hours when he started stalking women around stores in the city, targeting them before committing the sick acts that would land him straight back behind bars.

Roberts had been released on licence at the time, meaning he was already serving a sentence for a separate matter when he was let out. That release lasted no time at all before he was back to his old ways.

The case has raised serious questions about the monitoring of offenders released on licence and whether enough is being done to protect the public, particularly women going about their everyday lives in busy retail areas.

Swansea has seen a number of cases in recent years involving predatory behaviour in public spaces, and incidents like this one highlight the very real fear that many women face simply while doing their shopping.

Roberts was caught and brought before the courts, where the full details of his behaviour were laid out. Prosecutors described how he deliberately followed women through shops, picking his targets before carrying out the indecent acts.

The fact that he had only been out of prison for a single day before reoffending painted a stark picture of someone with no intention of changing his behaviour. The court heard how his actions caused significant distress to his victims, who had no idea they were being followed until it was too late.

Judges and magistrates dealing with licence breaches have limited options in some cases, but the swift return to offending here left little room for leniency. Roberts was sent back to prison following the proceedings.

Victim support groups have long argued that more needs to be done to supervise offenders in the critical period immediately after release, describing the first few days and weeks as the highest risk window for reoffending. This case would appear to back that up entirely.

For the women targeted by Roberts in Swansea, the experience of being followed and subjected to his behaviour in what should have been a completely normal, safe environment is something that is not easily forgotten.

South Wales Police have not released further details on the specific locations involved or the number of victims, but the case serves as a reminder that predatory behaviour can happen anywhere, including the most ordinary of public spaces.