Swansea Crown Court (Image: Leighton Collins / Alamy)
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A 22-year-old from Neath has avoided immediate custody after a court heard he had been viewing indecent images of children since the age of 15.
How he was caught
Tyler Mitchell came to the attention of officers last July, when police intelligence prompted them to carry out a search and seize mobile phones belonging to him.
What the phones contained
Examination of the devices uncovered 850 indecent images in total. Of those, 432 fell into Category A – the classification reserved for the most serious abuse material. A further 304 were graded Category B and 114 Category C.
The charges
Mitchell, of Westbourne Road, had already admitted five offences at an earlier hearing: two counts of possessing an indecent photograph of a child and three counts of making an indecent photograph of a child.
What the judge said
Sentencing him at Swansea Crown Court on Wednesday, Judge Huw Rees said these were “serious and despicable offences” involving “very young children”.
The judge told Mitchell: “Showing any interest in such images as you did for a long period of time between the ages of 15 and 21 creates a demand for further abuse of children.”
The sentence
Mitchell received a six-month prison term, suspended for 18 months. He was ordered to carry out 150 hours of unpaid work alongside a 15-day rehabilitation activity requirement.
He will also be subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for seven years, and must remain on the Sex Offenders’ Register for the same period.
