Mistake in court sees sentence cut for woman who planned child sex attack

Stuart Compton and Tracy Turner, who dubbed themselves "Bonnie and Clyde", sent about 100,000 messages discussing the rape and abuse of three different children

A woman involved in planning the "brutal" sexual assault of three children has seen her sentence reduced following a mathematical "miscalculation" in court.

On Monday Tracy Turner, 52, was sentenced to 12 years in prison with a further two years on licence, but that has been reduced to 10 years in prison and two on licence.

Stuart Compton, 46, was given a life sentence but has seen the amount of time he must spend in prison before applying for parole increase from seven years to eight years and 11 months.

Judge Tracy Lloyd-Clarke, the recorder of Cardiff, apologised "to all concerned" during Wednesday's hearing.

The judge said she would use the "slip rule" to adjust the sentences because the defendants had not been brought to court on time during the sentencing hearing, leading to mathematical errors.

Turner, who was present via a video link from prison, wept at the news and said "thank you".

At the earlier sentencing hearing, Judge Lloyd-Clarke told Compton it was clear he was "the driving force in the messages" and he "did not accept" the seriousness of his offending.

"Unless and until the parole board considers it safe to release you, you will remain in prison," she said, addressing Compton.

The court heard it took officers several weeks to go through the messages, which related to two girls and a boy under the age of 13 at the time the messages began.

Two of the children were aged eight and one was 12 when Compton and Turner began discussing them.

Prosecutor Matthew Cobbe told the court there was an "extraordinary amount" of messages related to "discussing sexual depravity involving children".

Mr Cobbe said while no contact was made with the children, the messages sent over many months showed a "clear attempt to arrange and commit sexual activities" with the children.

"Fantasy plainly turned into obsession," Mr Cobbe said, as Compton described in messages "graphic accounts of what he wanted to do" with individual children.

The court heard that messages showed Compton was interested in children "aged one to six".