Enraged residents gathered to drive a convicted paedophile out of his home.
To cheers and chants of “scum”, police escorted a man, named locally as sex-offender Ian Hook, and a woman from the property in Union Street, Pontlottyn, on Sunday April 13.
Officers were called to the tense scene as numbers outside the home swelled to around 50.
Gwent Police said they were called to a disturbance at around 9.45pm but would not confirm or deny they escorted people from the premises.
But video footage, uploaded to Facebook, shows two people being removed from the house as the crowd chant abuse. As the pair are driven away, the crowd cheer.
Police would not confirm or deny if the man removed was Ian Hook, but locals said they were certain they got the right man.
Residents said six police cars were at the scene and reported at least one police dog being used to control the crowd. The use of a police dog was denied by Gwent Police.
Reports that Hook was living in Pontlottyn under the alias of ‘John Jenkins’ had spread across social media.
One resident, who did not want to be named, said the gathering to oust Hook had been organised through Facebook.
She said: “One person turned up and then around 14. We got there when the police were there and the crowd on the street was getting bigger and grew up to 50.
“It started to get a bit aggressive as people came out of the pubs and joined in, but people were pretty controlled and behaved themselves to the best of their ability – given that emotions were high.”
The woman spoke to some of the crowd who were blocking the front door and shouting through the letterbox and told them to move.
She added: “If it had gone on longer, before the police got him out and more people had moved forward, I wonder whether they could have controlled the crowd. I don’t think there were enough police to contain an angry crowd.
“They would have had him, but overall it was a job well done.”
In November 2006 Ian Hook, then of Bryn Road, Cefn Fforest, was sentenced to ten years in prison for committing multiple sexual assaults against his daughter and step-daughter.
Hook’s first victim was 14 when the abuse began and the second was six or seven.
Courts heard the abuse left immeasurable psychological effects on the girls. The two waived their anonymity to tell their story to the press and branded Hook “evil”.
Hook was convicted of four counts of indecency with a child and 13 counts of indecent assault at Cardiff Crown Court.
It is believed Hook was released last month. Residents are angry he was housed less than half a mile from Pontlottyn Primary School and less than a mile from Rhymney Comprehensive.
The unnamed resident said: “It is frustrating they knowingly put paedophiles close to schools – especially when there are plans to put an even bigger school nearby.
“You have to stand together. If you don’t, the innocent are the ones who suffer. He may never have re-offended, but is that a risk you want to take?”
Pontlottyn councillor Gaynor Oliver said she could not condone the actions of the crowd but could understand why emotions ran high in the small community.
Cllr Oliver said: “I didn’t see violence I saw a very well controlled police operation to remove a possible dangerous situation.
“The first reaction of any councillor in this position is to ask ‘why didn’t I know he was living here?’
“But of course no one should know because as soon as someone knows there is a danger of what happened on Sunday evening occurring.”
Gwent Police said no offences occurred and no arrests were made.
councillor’s say said she ie.Gaynor Oliver ..she could not condone the actions of the crowd but could understand why emotions ran high in the small community.id like to ask the councillor/s these small community’s are full of innocent children , so how many children/youngsters are in pontlottyn alone ? never alone the bourgh…the goverment and as for david cameron needs shooting FULL STOP …and thay say rehabilitation for sex offenders. WHAT!!!!! OK TAKE DAVID CAMERON FOR INSTANCE what would his thoughts be if a sex offender got released and lived within walking distance to his childrens schools,parks NO BECAUSE IT WOULD NOT HAPPEN ,I tell you what needs to be done to these animals to stop them reoffending ,for a start CASTRASTRATE THEM ALL . and put them on front row /liners with no weapons NOTHING ,lets see them fight and earn thier way back into the communities of those thay have distroyed ,call our boys back and chuck all these predotors out thier to leave rot in my oppion ,thier is no rehabilitation for these creatures ,its like putting a child in a sweet shop and saying dont touch .. rant over
Im totally amused at GWENT POLICE’s denial about a dog lol, As for Gaynor Oliver the actions of the crowd were in my opinion warranted, every person within the crowd was respectful of the officers present and she should be ashamed that she didnt stand with the community during this time. This Monster was placed very close to a primary school.
I fully condone this behaviour! After being castrated, restrictions should be imposed on paedophiles banning them from living in an area with young children, going to places where there will likely be young children or coming within 500 yards of a school. Did anyone watch the Louis Theroux documentary examining paedophiles in Los Angeles? LA have restrictions and the community say they feel safer.
Gaynor Oliver’s comment shows how out of touch she is. If she had any sense she would be leading the demonstration and pushing for him to move on. Peadohpiles deserve no second chances and should not enjoy the same rights or privileges law abiding citizens enjoy.
As is normally the case with paedophiles, this man subjected his family children to abuse. `Kept it in the Family` People like him rarely if ever offend outside the home, so the authorities consider he is not a risk to the community in which these offenders are placed after release from jail. Cowards like him have to exercise their perversions over children who, for one, respect them, in this case, a parent, and two, the children have to consider they will not be harmed by these cretins, again, in this case, by a parent.
Members of the community in which he lived when the abuse took place would have had no idea whatsoever that anything was going on inside the home, and where us the inane mother, living in the same house, nobody except Ian Hook and his abused children knew. Now, however, he has been displaced to a community who are entitled in law to be told of his previous offending, and, the reaction and demonstration of the Pontlottyn community is perfectly reasonable and acceptable, what is totally unreasonable in this case is that Hook was placed where he was, in Pontlottyn, in the first place.
The responsible authorities should be asked to explain how he found himself at this location at all, did Gwent Police play any part on the Community resettlement plan for Hook?, Were Councillor Gaynor Oliver`s Caerphilly borough Council aware of this relocation by this offender,? if so, Why did they not fully consult Gaynor Oliver, all the authorities who played a part in putting Hook where they did have a resounding responsibility to do so only AFTER a thorough risk assessment. Someone should ask Councillor Gaynor Oliver to get a copy of that Risk Assessment and disclose it to the people of Pontlottyn, This is the only way to avoid a repeat of a similar incident of having serious sex offender placed in an unsuspecting trusting community.
The other way for this and any other community, who find themselves and their children in a similar situation, should always consider referring the issues to Ian Johnston the Gwent Police and Crime Commissioner who WILL ensure that the Authorities act properly in the interest of everyone in the community. Where will Hook go now? which community will be subjected to his potential re-offending?
and, will those communities know he is placed amongst them by the `Authorities? I think not.`.
“People like him rarely if ever offend outside the home”
Whilst that may be true, we are talking about the innocence and lives of young children here. It’s simply not worth the risk trying to reintegrate him. He should be cast out and left to rot. It’s not fair having him where he currently is and it’s not fair moving him on to any other housing estate with children.
this pervert has been living up there for about a year.i would have lost my job if this had come out.well done on getting them out they also have stables at the bottom of the barn hill in cefn fforest they are big wooden gates on the left hand side going up so dont keep your horses there.his ex wife was the other women the police brought out
I have always said there should be a prison for these scum who harm young innocent children they cost the government millions a year so put them all together in one prison the trouble is a child as to get hurt whilst they rehousing these pigs its so not fair and they should be tattoo on their for heads so everyone knows who they are
“But of course no one should know” !! Of couse they should know, we all have a right to know if our kids are in danger because of sick perverts like him! Why should the paedophiles have more rights than the normal law abiding people?!?! Should never be released!
Katie, the issue is why Councillor Gaynor Oliver was not consulted by the ` `authorities`, i.e. By the Official Partnership groups who consulted each other and decided Hook was not a threat to the community, and housed him in Pontlottyn, perhaps members of any communities which are going to have such individuals inflicted on them should also be consulted and potential situations in which the public become embroiled in vitriolic confrontations can and should be avoided.
Unless all communities, like those of Pontlottyn, are consulted BEFORE the Hook`s of this world ` move in`,then the removal of this man will count for nothing, Councillor Gaynor Oliver and her Caerphilly Council Colleagues must tell us how this has happened anywhere in the Borough without the community being consulted, are there others like Hook already in communities in which those living there are not aware?
The hang `em and flog `em attitude does not help communities to recognise these sorts of offenders being inflicted on an unsuspecting and trusting public now and in the future.
Google adam gibbons…. had hundreds of images..some he filmed himself with bisvictims…..walks freely around canberra close, penmaen, oakdale grinning..knowing police back him…. wasnt sent to prison as no sentence would cure him…how crazy is that?!!!! (Welsh three feathers on door guys 😉 )
i think our goverment are as bad as this scum bag its always the same there put the scum by school wtf is that about putting poor children at risk all the time its wrong. im from blackwood and in my street i know for 3 paedophiles ok there are old now but its not the point is it once again all 3 are place here why coz the school is 2 mins away from them. im ashamed by the way our county is run there need to bring back hanging and deal with them for once and for all just look how much we would save on the scum there should have no rights to life after there hurt children like there have its bullshit done it onces there do it again as there no helping someone like that
he is living in cefn fforest now by the stonehouse pub, just down the road from 3 schools