Gareth Ritter, a former award-winning brass band conductor in South Wales has pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting a 17-year-old girl.

Three days into his trial, and after denying the charges in evidence, Ritter, aged 44 returned to Merthyr Tydfil Crown Court where his counsel informed the judge recorder that he would be changing his plea to guilty.

Guilty

Earlier he had pleaded guilty to two offences of possessing and one of distributing indecent images of the then 17-year-old complainant who later reported him over the alleged sexual assault.

He was told that all of the charges he had admitted carried a custodial sentence, and the court would consider immediate custody. Ritter was granted bail until sentencing on 4th November.

At the time of the incident in 2015, which took place at flat he owned in Cardiff Bay, Ritter was an assistant headteacher at Willows High School in Cardiff and had appeared on the Channel 4 series 'Educating Cardiff'.

He was also the Musical Director of Ebbw Valley Band and was a freelance conductor of bands, including the Greater Gwent Youth Band amongst others in Wales and England. It was reported that he had resigned from his conducting roles with Ebbw Valley and Lydbrook Bands in February 2025.

Denial

The court was told that when Ritter was interviewed by police in December 2022, he denied knowing about the Cardiff Bay flat, and denied taking the woman there. He also told police he had not given her a lift home.

A year later he was interviewed by police again. When asked if he had given a truthful account in his first interview, he said no.

The case has been extensively reported on regional and national news outlets in Wales.