A SERVING Gwent Police is going to jail after a jury found him guilty of sexually abusing a young girl. 

Paedophile John Stringer, 42, was convicted following a trial at Cardiff Crown Court of sexual assault and causing or inciting a child under 13 to engage in sexual activity.

Judge Daniel Williams refused an application for bail by the defendant’s barrister James Tucker.

He remanded in Stringer in custody until his sentence which will take place October 28 and told him he will now have to register as a sex offender.

Judge Williams thanked jurors for their public service and said to them: “The defendant will be seen by the probation service to see if there is any information in a report which can assist me when it comes to sentence.

“It’s going to be a prison sentence.”

Prosecutor Ian Wright told the jury Stringer had showed the victim a pornographic video of a woman masturbating before encouraging her to mimic the performer.

He said the defendant had also have touched the underage girl sexually.

Stringer was asked by his barrister Mr Tucker about his reaction when he was arrested in 2021.

“I felt devastated – it was just such a shock,” he replied.

When Stringer was cross-examined by Mr Wright he told him the allegations against him “didn’t make any sense to me.”

The defendant told the court he had been a serving officer for 14 years with a “good record”.

He had denied any wrongdoing.

At the start of the trial, the jury were shown a recording of the girl’s police interview.

She told detectives that Stringer had played her a sex video after searching for it on his phone.

The alleged victim said: “He showed me a video of a girl with nothing on her legs.

“She was rubbing it down there and making weird noises. She had no trousers or pants on.

“He asked me to do it and he told me not to tell anyone or he would get into a lot of trouble.”

The offences occurred in Cardiff where the defendant lives.