Newport Crown Court (Image: Anthony Morgan / Alamy)
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A 21-year-old man who hoarded hundreds of the most serious category of child sexual abuse images on his mobile phone has been given a suspended sentence at Newport Crown Court.
Five years of offending
George Evans began accessing indecent images of children at the age of 15, with his offending spanning from July 27, 2020 to August 1 last year. The court heard victims depicted in the material were aged between one and 10 years old.
Evans, of Maes Morgan, Nantybwch, Tredegar, pleaded guilty to three counts of making an indecent photograph of a child. He had no previous convictions and has since lost his job at McDonald’s following his conviction.
The scale of the images
A total of 907 indecent images were recovered from Evans’ mobile phone – 565 at category A, the most serious classification, 181 at category B and 161 at category C.
Defence mitigation
Gareth Williams, representing Evans, told the court his client’s offending began after he had been bullied and assaulted at school.
He said: “He went down a rabbit hole. It should never have happened and he should have reflected and stopped.”
Mr Williams described it as a “horrible obsession” but said Evans had since stopped and reduced his internet use.
He added: “The defendant is only 21 and he has his whole life ahead of him. There is every prospect of success in his rehabilitation.”
The court also heard that Evans’ family remained supportive and that his mother was present in the courtroom.
Sentencing
Judge Carl Harrison told Evans: “You had images of children being sexually abused in the most vile way. You should be thoroughly ashamed for what you have done.”
Evans was handed an eight-month prison sentence, suspended for 18 months. He was also ordered to complete 120 hours of unpaid work and attend 26 sessions of an accredited programme.
He must register as a sex offender for 10 years and was made the subject of a sexual harm prevention order for the same period. Evans was also ordered to pay a £187 victim surcharge and costs.
