Man Jailed for Sex Offences After Claiming to Be UK’s ‘Rightful King’

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A convicted paedophile who sent disturbing letters to a senior judge claiming to be the true King of the United Kingdom has been sentenced to more than eight years in prison. Leighton Stanley made the threats while on remand for a series of serious sexual offences against a child and a woman.

The 47-year-old, formerly of High Street, Glynneath, was found to have written letters to Judge Paul Thomas KC demanding the arrest of King Charles III and warning that the judge himself would be executed for treason if he did not comply. He also demanded a trillion pounds in compensation for his imprisonment.

Swansea Crown Court heard that Stanley’s mental health had deteriorated significantly during his time in custody. He was detained in health units for extended periods and was under medication. Judge Thomas noted that the bizarre letters reflected a clear mental breakdown and said they were symptomatic of the defendant’s state at the time.

Prosecutor Georgia Donohue told the court that Stanley’s crimes dated back to 2003, when a child confided in her mother that he had carried out sex acts on her and warned her to keep their “secret” or risk losing Christmas presents from Santa. The initial police investigation at the time was dropped, with South Wales Police later admitting no further action had been taken due to a lack of medical evidence.

The case was reopened years later after Stanley made a drunken confession during a phone call to police, only to deny it in a subsequent interview. It wasn’t until a disturbing TikTok video surfaced in 2023 that matters took a darker turn.

Online Outburst

In a livestream broadcast from central Cardiff, Stanley claimed “God is a paedophile” and said he had abused a child to “protect her from paedophiles” because he could “smell her pheromones”. He also hoped that his video would go viral and be seen by eight billion people. The clip, which was widely reported to police, led to his arrest.

After this, another woman came forward with allegations of sexual assault. She told officers that Stanley had boasted about the size of his genitals and made crude comments, promising to give her “the time of your life” during the assaults. These allegations added to the already serious charges he faced.

Stanley had previously pleaded guilty to indecent assault on a child, six counts of sexually assaulting a woman, and a malicious communications offence related to the TikTok video. His criminal record includes 13 convictions for 25 offences covering violence, drugs, criminal damage, and driving offences.

His defence barrister, Andrew Evans, told the court that Stanley’s mental state had been at its lowest when the video was recorded, and that his condition had since improved with medication. However, Judge Thomas raised concerns over reports that Stanley now wished to stop taking his prescribed treatment.

The judge delivered an extended sentence totalling eight and a half years, including four and a half years in custody and a four-year licence period. He also condemned South Wales Police for failing to act on the 2003 report, calling it “an absolute disgrace” in light of what he described as “compelling evidence.”