Cardiff sports coach sentenced over child abuse images

A sports coach who claimed to work with major Welsh football clubs has been sentenced after being found in possession of indecent images depicting child abuse.

Ciaran Bright, 30, from Pennsylvania, Pentwyn, Cardiff, was visited by South Wales Police officers at his home on 25 July 2025 following a referral from social media company Kik. The platform had reported an individual uploading indecent images of children being sexually abused.

Officers seized a mobile phone from Bright’s possession, and examination revealed eight indecent images in total – two category A images (the most serious), two category B images, and four category C images. The images had been downloaded between 2 April and 18 July 2025.

Disturbing internet search terms were also discovered on various browsers on the phone, including “young gymnast”, “girl cheerleaders”, and “children on leashes”.

Bright pleaded guilty to three counts of making indecent images of children at Cardiff Magistrates’ Court on Friday. The court heard he was of previous good character.

On his LinkedIn page, Bright described himself as a director of SportsXtra and claimed to have worked with clubs including Cardiff City FC and Swansea City FC. However, Cardiff City has confirmed he has never worked for or with the club.

In mitigation, the court was told that Bright’s life had “spiralled” due to drug use, but he has now made efforts to address this. He has lost his career and is now unemployed, though his family remain supportive. There was no evidence he had direct contact with a child.

Bright was sentenced to nine months imprisonment suspended for 18 months. He was also ordered to complete a 14-day rehabilitation activity requirement and 200 hours unpaid work. Additionally, he was made subject to sex offender notification requirements and a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for 10 years.

A spokesperson for SportsXtra said: “We are very shocked by this news, and are deeply dismayed that Ciaran has behaved in such a deplorable way. Safeguarding is our highest priority and as soon as we learned about the allegations against Ciaran we immediately suspended him, in line with our procedures, and ensured he had no further contact with young people. We remain committed to maintaining the trust placed in us and continue to review our safeguarding policies to ensure the strongest possible protections are in place.”