Retired teaching assistant sentenced over abuse images

A retired Cardiff teaching assistant has been handed a suspended sentence after admitting to possessing indecent images of children, some of which he had distributed to others.

David Wood, 69, had his home in Hunter Street, Butetown, visited by South Wales Police on 5 September last year. Officers seized an iPad which, when searched, revealed 12 category A indecent images and four category B indecent images downloaded between 2023 and 2024.

bheard on Wednesday that the images and videos depicted children aged between eight and 15 years old. Police also discovered Wood had made online searches for terms including “lovechild bums” and “toddler pre teens”.

During his police interview, Wood claimed he did not consider the images to be indecent. He said he was attracted to boys over 14 years old and believed the children in the images were between 15 and 16 years old. The defendant stated he “did not realise” the images were illegal.

Wood pleaded guilty to two counts of possessing indecent images of children. The court heard he has no previous convictions.

In mitigation, the court was told Wood had previously worked as a teaching assistant at a secondary school but the offences were committed after his retirement. He was described as a frequent social media user who had begun speaking to individuals in the USA.

District Judge Hayes said during sentencing: “This has caused me a great deal of concern, primarily you have come to the attention of the police for having distributed indecent images. You were interviewed and made some disturbing comments that you did not consider the images to be indecent, but you admitted the offences.”

The judge noted there was a “realistic prospect of rehabilitation” in Wood’s case, primarily due to his previous good character.

Wood was sentenced to 40 weeks imprisonment, suspended for two years. He was made subject to a rehabilitation activity requirement of 20 days, sex offender notification requirements and a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for 10 years. He was also ordered to pay £85 in costs and a £154 victim surcharge.