James Thomas, 37, was jailed after he previously pleaded guilty to five counts of sexual activity with a child and one count of causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity
A vulnerable girl who suffered sexual violence has revealed the sight of her abuser wearing a Spider-Man costume for children’s birthday parties was the “final straw.”
James Thomas, 37, was sentenced at Swansea Crown Court on July 10, 2025, after he previously pleaded guilty to five counts of sexual activity with a child and one count of causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity.
The court heard how In his mid-20s Thomas groomed a young girl into a petrol station where he worked in Swansea and abused her in the stockroom.
The victim, whose name we are changing to Chloe for legal reasons, has revealed how his horrific actions in 2012 and 2013 “altered her life completely.”
She has disclosed how the trauma destroyed her mental health and caused her to miss extended periods of school. She also turned to drugs as she struggled to cope.
Chloe said the trauma had eaten away at her for a decade but the final straw came when she discovered Thomas was advertising himself on Facebook as a children’s party entertainer who dressed up as Spider-Man.
She bravely confronted Thomas in 2023 on social media, to which he confessed his heinous crimes. Chloe has now decided to speak out in the hope it will empower other victims – and warn others of his behaviour.
She has partially waived her lifelong right to anonymity so WalesOnline could publish her story.
Chloe said she first met family friend Thomas when she was around eight or nine years old.
Prior to the sexual abuse starting when she was around 13 or 14 years old, until she was 15, Chloe said Thomas seemed “over familiar” towards her, despite nothing obviously illegal happening.
She said: “He didn’t do anything sexual at that point, but he seemed over familiar and was gaining my trust in a gradual way. It was nothing obviously illegal, but he was pushing my boundaries.
“Then it started with high fives and hugs – very tight hugs, not just a friendly hug.
“He would give me a high five and hold on to my hand, keeping it there as long as he could. Then he [started working at the] garage on Wychtree Street in Morriston (which has since changed hands).”
Chloe said Thomas began inviting her to the garage. He would buy her cigarettes – from the age of 14 – in a bid to gain her trust and attention.
On rainy days he would invite her to take shelter there with him, she said.
“He got my number and he started texting me, asking if I wanted to come down and help him stack the shelves and have a chat,” she said. “That’s when things became weird.
“He would ask me to come down on my own, and tell me not to come down with anyone. He would ask if I wanted to go into the back room and restock the storage cupboard so it was all tidy.
“He would follow me and that’s when [the abuse] would happen.
“It started with hugs and kisses, then moved on to more sexual stuff after a few weeks. He put his hands down my trousers and then he would ask me to touch him and do stuff to him
“That sort of stuff went on for a few months.”
Chloe said at the time she knew something didn’t feel right, but that as a lonely and shy child Thomas’ actions made her feel close to him.
Now, aged 27, she understands that this was Thomas using her vulnerability to his advantage.
Chloe said she put an end to their interactions when she felt that Thomas pushed things too far one day.
She said Thomas continued to text her, asking her to come and see him, but that she declined to see him on her own ever again.
As she got slightly older and began to fully understand the gravity of Thomas’ actions, Chloe said she began using drugs as a coping mechanism.
“A few months after the abuse I started doing a lot of drugs to cope with it because I knew it was so wrong,” she said.
“I started smoking cannabis which went on to legal highs. Because I was doing the drugs, I was being naughty at school and not going to school. I used drugs until I was 17.”
Chloe said the mental health impact of Thomas’s abuse continued into her adult years. She explained that even though Thomas no longer abused her, they often saw each other because they were in similar circles.
It meant her trauma was often triggered and so it became harder and harder to hide it from others. When Chloe had children of her own she realised she couldn’t go on much longer without reporting Thomas’ actions to the police.
Then in 2020 she came across a Facebook page used by Thomas where he advertised himself as a children’s party entertainer who dressed up like Spider-Man.
“This was the final straw,” she said. “When I saw that he had been dressing up like Spider-Man for children I felt awful. I wish I said something sooner so that it didn’t get to that point
“I look back and there were a lot of ifs and buts.
“But after [so many] years I didn’t want to risk just coming out with it with no evidence, no dates, no times. In a court of law that’s not going to get very far is it?”
Chloe said the only way she believed she could take the matter any further was to confront Thomas and get a confession, so she bided her time until a suitable opportunity arose.
She said: “A couple of weeks before I reported it I saw him and he was quite upset about something.
“Afterwards he messaged me on Facebook with a broken heart emoji and this was the only opportunity I had to get some sort of confession out of him
“I asked him why he liked me when I was so young? I said: ‘If you are really sorry you will apologise for what you have done and tell me what you did’.”
In screenshots seen by WalesOnline Thomas clearly told Chloe: “It was so wrong.” He continued: “Yer I do remember I’m still feeling bad over it. I’m disgusted with myself for doing it. If I could take it back I would x.”
He proceeded to state a number of sexual acts that he subjected Chloe to and apologised for each of them, adding: “It had to stop.”
Chloe went on to tell him about how his actions affected her and directly led to her drug use.
Thomas responded saying he has anxiety, before asking: “Can we still be mates tho?”
Later that evening he randomly told her to check out marketplace “Temu”, adding “it’s worth it”, having completely dismissed and misunderstood the seriousness of their previous conversation.
Chloe said: “The day after I confronted him I saw him walking to Asda and he walked up to me and hugged me. This was less than 12 hours after he admitted it to me.”
After speaking to Chloe, WalesOnline found and searched through Thomas’ public Facebook page which has more than 500 members.
Hundreds of pictures have been posted to the page showing Thomas dressed up like Spider-Man in tight clothing at numerous children’s parties and events. He can be seen hugging, carrying and high fiving many children.
In further public social media posts Thomas bragged that he had been invited into a primary school to talk about being Spider-Man in front of hundreds of children.
Thomas, of Tawe Street in Morriston, was sentenced at Swansea Crown Court on July 10, 2025.
He has no previous convictions and a judge said it was clear from psychological and probation reports that Thomas’ intellectual and emotional age was less than his chronological age. Thomas was sentenced to four years and four months in prison.
He will serve up to half that sentence in custody before being released on licence to serve the remainder in the community. He will be a registered sex offender for the rest of his life.
Describing the profound impact Thomas’ abuse had on her life, Chloe said: “It altered my life completely, starting with the drugs.
“Through doing that I missed a lot of school and I didn’t get the education I needed to get a job
“As I got older I became more withdrawn and my anxiety worsened.
“I tried to hide it and avoided going to the doctors for [mental health] help in case someone asked why I was going and I felt like I had to tell them.
She said it has even continued to impact her in motherhood.
She said: “I have felt worried about going out in case I see him, and worried about taking my children out.
“My child went to the school opposite to where he lives and it got to the point where I couldn’t walk to the school and my children were missing days off school because I couldn’t face going down there.
“There were days when they would be late because of the fact I didn’t want to go down there.
“I have moved them to a different school now so I don’t have to face going down there, but it has impacted their education as well.
“Just walking down the lane to the school you can see his house and you can see the garage. Going into the carpark and the school yard, you can also see it.”
Reaching out to other victims she emphasised that once she reported Thomas’ crimes to the police, she felt listened to and taken seriously. She said: “Be brave, be strong, you can do it.”
ChildLine provides help and support for children and young people. It’s a private and confidential service for children and young people up to the age of 19.The ChildLine website and Helpline (0800 1111) are always available for information and support on issues like domestic and sexual abuse.
If you, a family member, a friend, or someone you are concerned about has experienced domestic abuse or sexual violence you can contact the Live Fear Free Helpline 24 hours a day seven days a week for free advice and support or to talk through your options: 0808 801 08 00.
