The man was arrested after sexually assaulting a teenager on the bus

A judge described this man as a “significant danger” to young boys in the community and sentenced him to prison for sexually abusing a 17-year-old on a bus.

Matthew Gilbert, 39, of Water Street, Pembroke Dock, was sentenced to 16 months in prison after pleading guilty to sexual assault.

“You knew this was clearly wrong,” Judge Catherine Richards said when sentencing Gilbert.

“They pose a significant threat to young boys in the community.”

Prosecutor Craig Jones told Swansea Crown Court that Gilbert boarded a bus at Pembroke Dock on the morning of September 28 last year.

He walked to the back of the bus where a 17-year-old was sitting. The teenager put his feet up – meaning he wanted to be left alone – but Gilbert sat down across from him and immediately started talking to him.

Gilbert asked the teenager how much money it would cost to have sexual intercourse with a man before she approached him.

“The defendant covers the position in the aisle and confines it,” Mr Jones said.

He asked the teenager his age, to which he replied he was 15. Gilbert replied that was fine and offered him £40 to perform a sexual act with him. He then increased the offer to £100, Mr Jones said.

Gilbert walked up to the teenager, put his hand on his thigh and then kissed him on the cheek. He then asked him to get off the bus with him in Johnston and “find a public toilet,” Mr Jones said.

When the bus stopped, Gilbert got off, but the teenager remained on the bus and the police were called.

The defendant was arrested that day while visiting his mother in the hospital. He told officers: “Since mom is here, I’ve been doing stupid things again.”

Matthew Gilbert sexually abused a teenager on a bus. (Image: Dyfed-Powys Police)

The court heard he had previously been convicted of exposure in October 2023 when he was seen masturbating behind a glass entrance door in Pembroke Dock. He was also convicted of malicious communication in June after making unwanted sexual comments in phone calls to the fire station.

In his defence, Ryan Bowen said: “He acknowledges that his convictions were recent and were offences of a sexual nature.”

“He spent most of his life without appearing in court.

“This is obviously someone with fundamental problems.

“It is assumed that his cognitive abilities are limited.

“His sexual obsession seems to be exacerbated by boredom and a lack of routine.”

The defendant was required to register as a sex offender for a period of ten years and was subject to a sexual assault prevention order for the same period.