A 40-year-old from Pontypridd has avoided an immediate prison term after 279 indecent images of children were found on his devices, some of them showing victims as young as three.
Royston Vincent was handed an eight-month sentence, suspended for 18 months, when he appeared at Cardiff Crown Court on Tuesday.
Online chats and searches
Messages recovered from Vincent’s phone showed him talking with other paedophiles about exchanging pictures and videos. In one exchange he said he was “interested” in children aged between 0 and 12, though he preferred those “a little bit older”.
Recent searches on a Samsung handset included “jailbait” and “teen porn”, alongside a search term describing the sexual abuse of an eight-year-old girl.
What officers found
Police went to Vincent’s home on May 20 last year after he came under suspicion of holding child abuse material. Phones, a tablet and laptops were seized from the address and sent for examination.
Analysis of the devices turned up 176 category A images, 23 category B images and 80 category C images. Four extreme pornographic images were also found.
Prosecutor Jac Brown told the court the material showed children as young as three being subjected to penetrative sexual activity, while the extreme images depicted women engaged in sexual activity with a dog and a horse.
Guilty plea and mitigation
Vincent, of Ynys Terrace, Rhydyfelin, admitted possessing indecent images and extreme pornography. He was described to the court as being of previous good character.
Defending, Harry Baker said Vincent had entered his pleas at the first opportunity and had not committed further offences while on bail.
Sentencing
Recorder Paul Lewis KC imposed eight months’ imprisonment, suspended for 18 months.
Vincent was also made subject to an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order and must comply with sex offender notification requirements for 10 years.
