SWINGER-STYLE websites featured during the trial of Paul Grabham, who murdered his wife Kirsty. Reporter RICHARD YOULE looks into the adult cyber scene.

MENTION the word "swingers", and for some reason I always conjured up an image of a Bill Oddie look-a-like with a fleshy wife.

"Swinging", in my mind, meant attending parties with like-minded, middle-aged couples, who wouldn't look out of place on Songs of Praise.

But a brief foray into the world of swingers' websites has revealed a rather more graphic scene.

I wanted to find out why people chose to swing. Had they got bored of going to nightclubs? Did they work long hours and not have time to meet people? Did they just want to try out new experiences? And had it all been fulfilling?

So, in the name of research, I registered with a website and created a profile for myself. Believe me, I had to answer some very specific questions.

I also had to come up with a catchline to lure in all those swingers — 228 of them in Swansea, according to this particular website.

Being of an English persuasion, I toyed with Swing Low Sweet Chariot. Probably not a good idea.

Instead I plumped for Posh Thoroughbred Seeks Pedigree Romp. Surely this would appeal?

No. After a couple of days my inbox was empty. All those swingers out there — among them eight in Morriston, seven in Sketty, four in Gorseinon and Clydach, and one in Mumbles — and not a sniff.

To make contact with them, and a certain swingers' club in Swansea, I had to shell out for a subscription, so I logged out for good.

My next attempt on a different website swiftly bore fruit.

I was a little more selective in what I wrote, although I was still wary of uploading a photo of myself.

The following day an eager 27-year-old blonde got in touch. I know she was eager and blonde because of the photo she sent — an artistic pose on the back seat of a car.

I decided to shell out £12.99 for a basic subscription, and emailed her back. I came clean, saying I was a reporter researching the swingers' scene. Would she like to talk about her experiences, anonymously if need be?

That was the end of that, but more messages pinged into my inbox — one from an older woman and another from a young couple, who seemed particularly adventurous.

I sent out a number of emails asking members from the Swansea area if they'd be interested in talking, but my inbox went dead.

I didn't expect all of them to reply, but I found it a little strange that people who were so frank about their sexual desires appeared coy in other respects.

This second website really was graphic. There's no doubt the internet can satisfy — and perhaps fuel — all manner of sexual behaviour.

Here, sexual contact was potentially a couple of clicks and messages away, and I wondered if these websites could become addictive.

Perhaps studies have been done to gauge their effects. I'd be interested to read them.

One thing I can vouch for is this.

Spend time browsing these websites and you can end up viewing people in the real world a little differently.

Was that woman serving me in the supermarket a swinger? How about that colleague of mine?

What about that giant rugby fan watching the England-Wales match in the pub on Saturday?

Crikey — this wasn't good.

Time to log off.

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