Dad horrified after mistakenly taking ‘rogue’ paedophile on family holiday

A convicted paedophile with a history of 71 offences secretly obtained a passport and went on holiday with a family without knowing, Swansea Crown Court heard.

Andrew Priday, 61, who has 12 previous convictions for offences committed between 1997 and 2005, appeared in court for breaching the terms of his inclusion on the sex offenders’ register.

The court was told that a well-meaning family offered Priday a room during his five-day holiday in Bulgaria. Unaware of his criminal past, they flew him out of Cardiff Airport in June.

However, Priday failed to inform police about obtaining a passport in January 2021, as required by his conditions, and did not mention this during subsequent annual returns.

Upon learning of Priday’s story, the unnamed father, who unknowingly allowed the offender to join his partner and son on holiday, told the court he felt “physically ill”. He added that he was “physically shaking” when he discovered the truth about Priday’s past.

The father expressed his anguish, saying: “I feel physically sick that I allowed him to come on holiday with us and be so close to my son.”

Priday, a Swansea resident, was arrested upon his return to the UK. Officers also discovered he had a new, undeclared mobile phone. He pleaded guilty to three counts of breaching a sexual offences prevention order and three counts of failing to comply with the requirements of the sex offenders registration scheme.

This isn’t Priday’s first time behind bars for sex crimes. His initial conviction in 1995 for indecent assault of a child and gross indecency with a child resulted in a seven-year prison sentence. In 2005, he received an extended 11-year sentence for indecent assault of a child, sexual activity with a child, making indecent images and possessing indecent images.

Judge Geraint Walters described Priday as “determined and dishonest”, saying he had “given up all pretence” of complying with the requirements. The judge sentenced Priday to 32 months in prison, with the possibility of release on licence after serving up to half of the sentence. Priday was given a one-third discount on his sentence due to his guilty pleas.

Priday’s defense attorney Andrew Evans noted that there was no suggestion of wrongdoing during the Bulgaria trip, but admitted that Priday’s compliance had “slipped” in recent years.

The court also heard that Priday had previously been engaged to a woman without disclosing his criminal record.