A former BBC Wales presenter and church minister has pleaded guilty to sexual offences against children and adults.
Ben Thomas, 44, from Flintshire, admitted 40 offences, including indecent assaults and voyeurism.
The offences happened in north Wales, Shropshire, London, and Romania.
Thomas worked for BBC Wales as a reporter and a presenter on Ffeil, the Welsh language news programme for young people, and on Wales Today, will be sentenced on 18 August.
He left the BBC in 2005 to preach on the streets of London, before returning to Wales in 2008 as pastor of the Criccieth Family Church in Gwynedd.
North Wales Police thanked Thomas’ victims and families for their “strength and courage,” adding they would now be “spared the harrowing ordeal of a lengthy trial”.
Det Con Lynne Willsher said: “Ben Thomas’ offending involved the serious sexual abuse of vulnerable young children by a religious leader.
“It is an awful breach of the trust placed in him by the victims and their families, and I cannot begin to imagine what impact the revelation of his offending has had on them.”
The NSPCC said Thomas’ crimes were “horrendous” and said it was important his victims had access to “ongoing support”.
A spokeswoman said: “Thomas has admitted to committing a wave of sexual offences over a long period of time and it is right that he now faces the consequences of his actions,
“It is crucial that anyone who has been abused feels safe to report what has happened to them, no matter how long ago the offence took place, in the knowledge that they will be listened to.”
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Editor-in-Chief | Carl D. Pearson has been involved in British politics and media from an early age, with the key knowledge of what it takes to run a news organisation for the 21st century. Mr Pearson, as Editor-in-chief, is responsible for supervising the daily tasks of publishing media and content to UNN’s website and various platforms.
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