By Braden Keith on SwimSwam
Retired Paralympic and World Champion swimmer Gareth Duke has been sentenced to six months in jail, suspended for 18 months, after being caught in a child predator sting by a group called the Child Online Safety Team, according to the South Wales Argus.
Duke, 39, thought he was talking to a 14-year-old girl named Mia from Portsmouth online, but in reality it was a representative of the Child Online Safety Team masquerading as an underage girl. The age of consent in the UK is 16.
The group reported in court that he asked her to take the train to Cwmbran so that they could “kiss and cuddle” and asked her for photographs of her in the bath. He then asked her to strip on camera. This all occurred between May 25 and June 2, 2025.
Duke admitted to attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child, and at his sentencing his attorney Alice Sykes cited his multiple health needs, including being legally blind, having just 20% hearing in both ears, and needing kidney dialysis three times a week.
“He has complex health needs and it is considered that he could be managed in the community,” she told the sentencing judge.
“The defendant has no previous convictions and he has co-operated with these proceedings.
“There is a realistic prospect of rehabilitation in this case.”
The judge replied that Duke was clearly aware of the age that the person he was chatting to claimed to be, citing Duke at one point saying ‘age was just a number.’
But the judge also credited Duke for showing remorse and having no previous convictions.
He was ultimately sentenced to a 6-month jail sentence, suspended for 18 months, which means that if he stays out of trouble for the next 18 month, he won’t spend time in jail. He will also have to complete 30 days of rehabilitation and pay a £154 ($200) fine.
He will further have to register as a sex offender and will be subject to a seven year sexual harm prevention order, which will place restrictions on his activities in an effort to reduce reoffending.
Duke is a three-time Paralympic Games medalist, winning the 100 breaststroke (SB6) in 2004, taking silver in the same in 2008, and swimming on the British bronze medal winning 4×50 free relay (2o points) in 2008.
He was also the 2006 World Champion in the 100 breaststroke (SB6).
He was born with Alport’s syndrome, a kidney disease. In 2006, he received a kidney transplant from his father, which failed. Later, in 2010, he received a kidney transplant from his uncle, which also failed. This ultimately led to his retirement from swimming.
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