A 74-year-old ex-Monmouth shop owner has been given a suspended jail term after sexually abusing a teenage boy.

Edward Smith, from Wormbridge in Herefordshire, was given a 12 month sentence, suspended for two years, at Cardiff Crown Court last Wednesday (7th March).

After initially denying abusing the boy, who was 14 at the time of the offence, forensic evidence was found on the teenager's underwear linking Smith to the crime.

He went on to plead guilty to one charge of sexual activity with a child, in court on 23rd September 2011.

The incident happened in the lavatories of the antique shop he used to run with his son in Agincourt Square on 1st April 2011.

Prosecution barrister Susan Ferrier described to the courtroom how the offence had caused a lasting "personality change" in the child involved.

Described by Judge Neil Bidder QC as "a man of clear character", the court heard how Smith made a serious suicide attempt after his arrest.

As a result of this, neurological tests where carried out, including enhanced MRI and CT scans. The results of these tests indicated that the defendant was suffering from the early stages of dementia.

One medical report stated that Smith was: "Not only suffering considerable depression leading up to the offence, but also suffering from the early stages of frontotemporal dementia which has out of the blue sexual deviations as a symptom".

For more on this story, see this week's Beacon (14th March).