Colwyn Bay man avoids jail over child abuse images

A Colwyn Bay man who searched the internet for child abuse material and hid his phone from police has been handed a suspended sentence at Caernarfon Crown Court.

Jenson Critchley, 42, of Trevor Road, was reported to police by a member of the public, Ashley Roberts, after a disturbing image of a naked child was spotted on his Telegram account. When officers arrived at his home to arrest him, he became evasive about the whereabouts of his mobile phone.

Critchley later attended a police station on 24 August, claiming he had “left it with a friend”. However, officers discovered the device hidden inside a steering lock in his unlocked car parked nearby. Three SD cards were also seized from his home.

Analysis of the phone revealed horrific images of children aged between three and seven engaging in sexual activity. Investigators also uncovered internet searches including “How do people share child porn pix?” and “What’s the best dark web for getting small girl porn?”

Critchley admitted three counts of making indecent photographs of a child – in category A (the most serious), category B, and category C. He also pleaded guilty to possessing an image of extreme pornography involving a horse.

Defence barrister Simon Killeen urged the court to consider rehabilitation rather than immediate custody, telling the judge: “He is on the cusp of something very serious. This is the time to intervene. It’s my hope that you will follow the recommendations of the probation service.” He added: “On the other hand he understands there needs to be some punitive element if he does not go to custody.”

Her Honour Nicola Jones suspended Critchley’s 16-month jail term for making category A images for 18 months, telling him: “Be in no doubt Mr Critchley that these images are of real children being raped, mutilated and abused, and being caused unspeakable suffering, all because of people like you who want to access these images.”

He also received concurrent suspended sentences of eight months for category B images, two months for category C images, and eight months for the extreme pornography offence.

Critchley must complete 150 hours of unpaid work, 20 days of rehabilitation activity, and 26 sessions of an accredited programme. He was made subject to a sexual harm prevention order and sex offender notification requirements for ten years. His phone and SD cards were seized.