Stuart Compton, 46, and his girlfriend Tracy Turner, 52, who dubbed themselves a twisted version of “Bonnie and Clyde.” Instead of romance and getaways, their shared obsession was horrifying. They planned brutal sexual offences against three children under the age of 13. Two were girls and one a boy, and police uncovered nearly 96,000 messages between them detailing their plans and fantasies.
Turner, who had been working as an operating theatre assistant at Cardiff’s University Hospital of Wales, pleaded guilty to six counts of arranging child sex offences and two counts of making indecent images. Compton admitted similar charges, as well as distributing indecent images.
This week at Merthyr Tydfil Crown Court, the judge handed down sentences that reflect the severity of their intentions: Compton received life imprisonment, with a minimum term of seven years before eligibility for parole; Turner was sentenced to 12 years in prison, plus two years on licence afterward.
Judge Tracey Lloyd-Clarke made clear that Compton was the “driving force,” and that what might have begun as fantasy escalated into a real, horrifying plan. In court, the prosecutor described how Compton “was interested in children aged one to six,” and that Turner suggested attending family festivals or camping so they’d be “around families with young children.” Compton replied, “[a] hippy one, where lots of drugs consumed leaving unattended girls … with Turner replying, “genius babe” as though it were normal conversation.
While no child was harmed, the gravity of their intent was clear. The judge said their actions had “devastated the families.” Impact statements from parents echoed that trauma: walking to school felt unsafe, trust was shattered, and everyday life altered forever. One mother called the messages “gut‑wrenching and sickening.” A father said the pain inflicted was “incomprehensible.”
Turner was fired from her hospital role in March 2025. A spokesperson for Cardiff and Vale University Health Board stressed that the case is entirely separate from her professional duties, and they didn’t want to comment on it due to the absurdity of the entire situation.
It’s distressing. It’s scary. And I am so glad that justice was served before harm was made. And the power of a tip a dating app operator recognizing wrongdoing and alerting police helped stop them.
What do you think? The comments are open.
