Latest Offenders Flint

Description

A MAN has been jailed after having sex with a young girl, having lied to her about his age.

Luke Gillard, of Cornist Lane in Flint, appeared for sentence at Mold Crown Court on Wednesday.

The 20-year-old, who appeared via video from HMP Berwyn, had previously admitted two offences of penetrative sexual activity with a child and one of sexual activity with a child.

Anna Price, prosecuting, told the court Gillard's offending involved him having sex with, and sexually touching, a young girl - having known her age and lied about his own to make himself appear younger than he was.

When interviewed by the police, the defendant relied on a prepared statement in which he denied any sexual contact with the girl and stating he had autism and ADHD.

But he went on to admit the offences at his plea and trial preparation hearing.

In a statement read to the court, the victim said the offences had a big impact on her emotions and quality of life.

"Sometimes I'd blame myself for what happened," she said.

"It would keep me up at night."

Ryan Rothwell, defending, asked the court to give his client appropriate reductions in the sentence bearing in mind his relative youth.

He added: "Clearly, not only does he have psychiatric issues which are labelled, he lacks a significant amount of maturity.

"There are well-founded suspicions of autism and a diagnosis of ADHD."

He said there were concerns about his client's ability to cope in a custodial setting, adding: "It seems the pre-sentence report alludes to potential issues in that respect.

"He's already received abuse in the prison.

"There has been a delay in bringing this matter to court and he had no convictions prior to these offences.

"He has written a letter in which he tried to express an acknowledgement of how [the victim] must feel and elaborates how sorry he is."

Judge Niclas Parry told the defendant: "You understand you're to be sentenced for extremely serious matters.

"It's a significant disparity in age - and you lied about your age, which underlines the fact you knew exactly what you were doing."

Judge Parry told the court that based on expert psychiatric reports, he did not feel the defendant's psychiatric issues had influenced his understanding of the illegality of his behaviour, and would have had a limited bearing on his decision-making.

As such, the Judge handed down an overall sentence of 27 months to be served immediately, in a young offenders' institute.

A restraining order and sexual harm prevention order were imposed for 10 years.

And Gillard was made subject to the notification requirements as a sex offender for the same period of time.

Judge Parry turned to the public gallery at the end, where the victim and her family were present, and stated: "Thank you for the dignity you have shown."

Description

A MOLD sex-offender who was caught once again with indecent images of children has been put behind bars.

Fiontan Greaney, of Bryn Heulog, appeared at Mold Crown Court on Tuesday for sentence.

The 35-year-old had previously admitted three offences of making indecent images of children; one each at categories A, B and C.

Karl Scholz, prosecuting, told the court that in February 2019, Greaney was sentenced for offences of the same nature and received a three-year community order.

However in November 2022, police conducted an unannounced home visit at Greaney's home and examined his devices.

Initial checks turned up filenames of concern, which led to the seizure of his computer and hard drives.

A forensic examination of the items revealed two still images at category A (the most serious), two images and three videos at category C and 313 images and six videos at category C.

Some 844 images indicative of a sexual interest in children were also found.

When Greaney was arrested in September last year, he protested his innocence and denied having been in possession, or having downloaded, any such images.

Trevor Parry Jones, defending, told the court: "Mr Greaney presents as an unusual character.

"He's one of those classic children who, whilst in the school system, required assistance.

"His mother is sitting in the court and she's understandably distraught.

"She believes, albeit he's never been formally diagnosed, he suffered ADHD.

"The only way she can put it is 'he is definitely on the spectrum' whatever that may mean."

Mr Parry Jones said his client also suffered mobility issues due to a muscular-skeletal problem.

"He keeps explaining he wishes to stop doing what he is doing because it's causing harm and upset to others," he continued.

"His mother told me there are positive steps he is taking and she believed he is beginning to understand the nuances of what he must do and not do."

He added that while his client had been attempting to set up a business and at the time of the hearing had the use of a smartphone and laptop, discussions had taken place about whether

Greaney should be completely deprived of the internet.

Judge Rhys Rowlands told the defendant: "At this court in 2019, you were made the subject of a community order. Attached were rehabilitation and programme requirements meant to address the risk you pose to young children.

"Sadly, you're now back before this court for three more offences.

"The pre-sentence report makes depressing reading.

"You continue to deny having any sexual interest in children.

"In view of your past offending, your continuing to offend whilst subject to a previous order and a clear lack of insight, I'm afraid I am driven to the view that adequate punishment can't be achieved in the community."

Overall, Greaney received a custodial sentence of 32 weeks.

He must register as a sex offender for 10 years and will be made the subject of a sexual harm prevention order for the same period of time.

Description

A "TRULY depraved" teenager whose attitude to sex has been "warped" by access to graphic pornography has been jailed for his behaviour towards two young girls. 

Nathan Mainwaring, of Llys Maes Teg in Greenfield, appeared at Mold Crown Court for sentence on Tuesday morning.

The 18-year-old, who appeared via video link from HMP Berwyn, had admitted a number of offences at a previous hearing, including: causing/inciting a child to engage in sexual activity, sending threatening communication, making indecent images of a child, sexual exploitation of a child and make/supply article intended for use in commission of computer misuse offence.

Frances Wilmott, prosecuting, told the court the majority of Mainwaring's offending related to his behaviour towards two female children he spoke to online when he was aged 16 and 17.

In both cases, the communication was highly sexualised and graphic - with Mainwaring making degrading remarks and instructing the girls to commit sex acts.

However in the case of the second victim, it was said Mainwaring had admitted his guilt on the basis he had believed she was older than she was - which was accepted by the court.

In interview Mainwaring denied he had a sexual interest in children.

When his computer was examined, it became apparent by the programmes he had that the defendant had also been seeking to access stolen credit card details, as well as stealing passwords and hacking into other computers.

He told police he was "knowledgeable about computing" and that he'd only acquired the programmes as he was "interested in learning," but that over time he'd begun to use them.

Myles Wilson, defending, told the court: "The pre-sentence report assessed him as 'immature' and he is only 18 - but he seems especially immature.

"He's learned about sex, it seems, from the internet. He's a part of this generation which has been exposed to and has had access to eye-wateringly graphic pornography that has never been available so easily before.

"It will have warped his attitude to sex."

Mr Wilson said in some instances, the conversation on the part of both defendant and victim had been "very peculiar."

And he shared his concern that the two children became victims around a year apart - as there was a delay in bringing his client to court.

He said: "In an ideal world, he'd have never got around to committing the offences against [the second victim] over a year after he made admissions to the police about [the first victim].

"Ideally he'd have been getting rehabilitation rather than being on police bail and committing these further offences."

Judge Rhys Rowlands said Mainwaring's behaviour was "really worrying," and "beggars belief."

He told the defendant: "This is all part and parcel of an inadequate young man seeking to exercise a degree of power and control over others.

"Although you were, and remain, a young man - it's plain you were very far from functioning as one would imagine an innocent 16-year-old to behave.

"You were behaving as a sexual predator, displaying a degree of sophistication far beyond your chronological years. It is truly depraved behaviour.

"It has taken the police and CPS far too long to bring the sexual offences to court.

"The impact on the two victims has been profound."

Overall, Mainwaring was handed a 42-month term of detention in a young offenders institute.

He was made subject to a ten year sexual harm prevention order to monitor and control his use of the internet, as well as having to register as a sex offender.

A ten year restraining order was also imposed to protect the victims.

Description

A FLINTSHIRE man has been locked up after 'reverting to his old ways' and attempting to exchange sexual messages with someone he believed to be a child.

Andrew Lloyd, of Chester Road in Northop Hall, appeared at Mold Crown Court for sentence on Tuesday morning.

The 39-year-old had previously admitted an offence of attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child under 16, which took place over a period of around two weeks in October and November this year.

Karl Scholz, prosecuting, told the court the offence also put Lloyd in breach of a ten year sexual harm prevention order (SHPO) in two ways - his attempted communication with a child and his use of social networking sites without notifying police beforehand.

Lloyd made contact with a profile online which had a photo of a young girl.

Within half an hour of the 'girl' telling him she was 12 years of age, Lloyd had sent her a photo of his exposed genitals.

Fortunately, the account was a decoy under the control of a group working to identify sexual predators online.

The chat moved onto Whatsapp, where he repeatedly spoke about his genitals and asked for photos of the girl.

The vigilante group attended the address where Lloyd was staying - after he'd revealed his location in the chats - and he was arrested shortly after.

Mr Scholz told the court the defendant received a custodial sentence of two years in September 2021 for similar offences, which is when his ten year SHPO was imposed.

In interview, Lloyd accepted he was the person in the chat and apologised for his actions.

He claimed he had been "working well with probation" following his 2021 offences, but that he'd returned to using drugs and experienced a decline in his mental health following issues at his accommodation.

Elen Owen, defending told the court: "Mr Lloyd doesn't want me to make any excuses.

"He had initially been working with probation and was receiving a great deal of support, but unfortunately he was put in a bedsit with someone who made threats on his life in prison.

"That made his life extremely difficult and he was very frightened - leading to his reverting back to his old ways of taking cocaine.

"Under the totally disinhibiting effect of the drug, he went back to behaving in this manner.

"He hopes whilst in prison to access help with substance abuse."

Judge Niclas Parry told Lloyd: "Within half an hour of finding out, as you believed, you were talking to a 12-year-old girl you were sending an image of your genitalia.

"Hundreds of messages followed and you encouraged her to send sexual images to you.

"Mercifully, there was no child."

Judge Parry jailed the defendant for two-and-a-half years and extended his SHPO, as well as his requirements under the notification provisions, to last indefinitely.

"That is hanging over you forever," he added.

Description

A former footballer raped a sixth-form student while she slept. Terry Nicholas met the girl, who was then aged 17, while drinking at a pub before they went back to his house with a group of other people.

The 36-year-old waited until the teenager, who was "completely out of it" went to bed at the property. He told the others he was "just going to the toilet", snuck into the bedroom and began assaulting her as she slept.

His victim woke up during the attack and pushed him away. He then told her and another woman to leave the house.

North Wales Live reported that Nicholas, of Jubilee Road in Buckley, was jailed for eight and a half years after a jury found him guilty of the attack which took place in his home in the summer of 2021.

The court had heard Nicholas had bought cocaine as he was a "casual user" of the drug, the court heard, and the judge believed that having sex with the woman was his "clear intention" that night.

Prosecutor Siôn ap Mihangel told the court, through a victim impact statement, that young woman felt "constant uneasiness" around men since the traumatic ordeal and dreaded going to sleep due to "night terrors" and having the feeling that "someone was back on top of her". She endured a "depressive episode" and "struggled with self-worth" following the attack.

Defending, Martyn Walsh, said his client had a "reasonable career" playing football for local teams. He stressed Nicholas had "no offences of a sexual nature on his record".

However, the judge Simon Mills felt that there was some "concerning" sides to the defendant identified through a pre-sentence report for the courts. Judge Mills said the 36-year-old's attitude was "misogynistic" when he claimed he "didn't need to commit sexual offences" to sleep with women.

The judge went on to lock Nicholas up for eight-and-a-half years, listing him as a sex offender for life. He said: "You raped her and treated her with contempt. And in effect, that's what you've done ever since.

"You've not shown a shred of remorse, let alone recognition, for what you did. You provided misogynistic views verging on an attitude you could not care less about what you're facing. I urge you to take a long, hard look at yourself, the way you act, the way you treat women and the way you think."

Description

A teenager tried to take her own life after being sexually assaulted by an older man. Simon Barlow, 39, also breached a restraining order against another woman and sent her a threatening text.

A judge at Mold Crown Court today jailed Barlow for a total of 24 months. Prosecutor Alexandra Carrier told how Barlow, of Connah's Quay, had sexually assaulted the teenager, who was over the age of 16. The touching was sexual and over her clothing.

In a victim statement the teen victim said the sexual assault has "opened her eyes to the real world" and made her feel very low. She has tried to take her own life due to this incident "and other concerns".

For her part the woman said in a statement she had had panic attacks and flashbacks and is always looking over her shoulder.

Dafydd Roberts, defending, said his client has had drink and drug problems. The court heard he had drunk vodka, Bailey's and taken cocaine on the day of the sexual assault. He is now thinking more clearly on remand and is "outraged" about his behaviour, added defence counsel.

The judge His Honour Rhys Rowlands jailed Barlow for 14 months for the sexual assault on a female and for ten months, consecutively, for breaching a restraining order. There was no separate penalty for sending the threatening communication.

But he also imposed a five-year restraining order prohibiting Barlow from contacting either victim and pointed out he must keep to sex offender notification requirements for ten years.

Description

A FLINT man has been branded a sex offender and put behind bars after asking a young girl for sexual pictures of herself.

Ben Gleeson, of Bryn Derw in Flint, appeared at Mold Crown Court for sentence on Monday via video link from HMP Berwyn.

The 36-year-old had been convicted at a previous hearing of engaging in sexual communication with a child.

John Wyn Williams, prosecuting, told the court that the victim had been contacted by Gleeson via social media.

She became upset and spoke to her mother after the defendant made sexualised comments and asked her to send him indecent images of herself.

The messages were reported to the police and when he was arrested, Gleeson made no comment.

Mold Crown Court heard how Gleeson initially pleaded not guilty, but then changed his plea on the day of trial.

He then tried to 'play the system' - postponing the sentencing date by several weeks by having a further change of heart and claiming he was innocent, telling the author of his pre-sentence report as such, and that he intended to apply to vacate his guilty plea.

However, the application wasn't made and according to Max Saffman, defending, Gleeson had finally accepted his guilt.

Mr Saffman told the court: "It was a slightly different Mr Gleeson who was in denial when the pre-sentence report was prepared.

"Alcohol has been at the root of all of his offending including the vast majority of his previous convictions.

"It's something he has struggled with for the entirety of his adult life.

"But he's been in custody for four weeks now and he sees things clearer."

Mr Saffman urged the court to step back from immediate custody, explaining his client wished to use the month he'd already served as a "platform" to "move on from."

He suggested there was a realistic prospect of rehabilitation, and that impositions by the court such as a restraining order and notification requirements would safeguard the victim and wider public.

But Judge Rhys Rowlands disagreed, telling Gleeson: "I've read your pre-sentence report, and I'm bound to say it makes depressing reading.

"Despite what Mr Saffman says about you having some insight, I see that with some scepticism.

"I can't ignore the way you have tried to play the system; entering not guilty pleas, changing your mind at the last moment and thereafter blaming your solicitor and saying you weren't guilty, all of which shows precious little remorse on your part."

The Judge said Gleeson's crimes were too serious for anything other than an immediate custodial sentence, jailing him for 10 months.

Gleeson was also sentenced for two other offences - criminal damage and common assault - both of which received no separate penalty given the sexual communication was taken as the lead offence.

He must sign on as a sex offender for 10 years. A restraining order was put in place for five years to protect the victim.

Description

A paedophile ex-vicar with a sexual interest in boys was jailed today for sharing sick images of children from a Twitter account.

Jason Kennett-Orpwood, of Brunswood Green in Hawarden, Flintshire, who has previous convictions for sharing vile abuse images, had 11 pictures and 18 videos in the worst category of seriousness and dozens of other photographs and videos on his phone.

North Wales Police were alerted in May last year that a Twitter (X) account linked to the married vicar had uploaded illegal images, Caernarfon Crown Court heard today.

Prosecutor Richard Edwards said the images were shared with other social media users, including on the Telegram platform. There were sexually explicit online chats seemingly with boys as young as 13, Mr Edwards added.

Kennett-Orpwood told police he was sexually interested in boys over 12 and knew it was wrong. Sarah Yates, defending, said he had cooperated with the investigation and had never been to jail before and had an elderly father who was unwell.

The court heard that the 68-year-old was already a convicted sex offender, having received a community order in November 2015 for sharing vile child sex images. In 2000, he was also cautioned for making indecent images.

Judge Timothy Petts told the disgraced former Flintshire vicar: The phrase indecent images can often be used without really thinking what that means. These are illegal images of child abuse and those like you who possess, share and distribute such images are part of a cycle that perpetuates the abuse of children.

"Those who have been abused are always subject to the knowledge their images are out there circulating indefinitely with absolutely nothing they can do. Thats part of their trauma.

Judge Petts said Kennett-Orpwood was part of a paedophile discussion group on social media, adding that it was cleat he had a "long-standing interest in this sort of activity.

Its clear you have a long-standing interest in this sort of activity, the judge added. The previous conviction hadnt deterred him. It has to be an immediate prison sentence, Judge Petts said.

Kennett-Orpwood admitted 10 offences of attempted sexual communication with children, attempted incitement of sexual activity and child porn charges including distribution.

He must register as a sex offender for life and a sexual harm prevention order was made for 15 years.

Description

A paedophile distributed video and images of child sexual abuse depicting children as young as five-years-old. He was also found to have conversations with other depraved individuals in discussions about what he referred to as "young p****".

Joshua Waldron, 29, was visited by police at his then home in Oakenholt, Flintshire, on May 13, 2021, after a report was made by Yahoo that the defendant was uploading child abuse images using his email address. A number of electronic items were seized including an iPhone and a Samsung phone.

A sentencing hearing at Mold Crown Court on Wednesday heard the Samsung phone was found to contain a total of 58 category A images of child abuse, 39 category B images and 27 category C images. Prosecutor Ember-Jane Wong said Waldron was found in possession of videos as well as the images, which showed children aged between five and 15-years-old being abused.

The defendant was also found to be using an app called Telegram in which engaged in conversations with other paedophiles and distributed a total of 29 category A images, nine category B images and 20 category C images.

Waldron, of no fixed abode, was interviewed by police and attempted to distance himself from the material on his device, even going as far to falsely implicate his ex partner and her brother. This was dismissed by a jury who convicted him of three counts of possessing indecent images and three counts of distributing indecent images. The court heard he had four previous convictions of a dissimilar nature, the latest of which was burglary.

In mitigation, Simon Mintz said his client, who continues to deny the offences, had a "difficult childhood" following the breakdown of his parents' relationship and was bullied at school. He said the defendant lived a solitary life due to huis work as a crane driver which required him to travel around the UK.

Recorder John Philpotts sentenced Waldron to a total of three years imprisonment. The defendant was made subject to sex offender notification requirements for life and a Sexual Harm Prevention Order indefinitely.

Description

A pervert with a "leg fetish" has been jailed after 'upskirting' numerous women and young girls in a Mold supermarket.

Ian Betts, of Celyn Park in Carmel, appeared at Mold Crown Court for sentence on Tuesday morning.

The 61-year-old admitted numerous offences including: eight of recording under clothing (a form of voyeurism also referred to as upskirting), three of making indecent images, four of taking indecent images, one of possessing prohibited images and two of attempted upskirting.

In 2021, a shopper in Tesco Mold spotted Betts acting suspiciously - standing behind a young female wearing a skirt with his mobile in his hand.

The court heard Betts bent over towards her and pointing the phone between the girl's legs when the screen lit up.

David Mainstone, prosecuting, said the shopper took hold of the defendant and alerted the girl's parent, as well as store staff, as to what he'd been doing.

When police attended, the phone was seized - as were a number of the defendant's other devices.

Indecent images - 10 at category A, two at category B and 2,859 at category C - were found, as well as four prohibited images of children.

Officers also discovered he'd been "upskirting" on numerous previous occasions, with footage of several victims - both adult and child females wearing skirts or dresses.

Most of the recordings were made at Tesco in Mold, and by tracking the defendant's use of his clubcard, police were able to obtain CCTV footage of his offending.

On one of the occasions - charged as attempted upskirting - he attempted to record under the clothes of two young girls in Mold town centre.

When interviewed by police, he expressed regret and said he'd "take responsibility" for his actions - which he attributed to an "obsessive compulsive disorder."

The court heard he'd "surprisingly" been cautioned for 14 offences of making indecent images in 2008, but had no convictions on his file.

Victim personal statements from parents of the victims were also read out.

One said she had not informed her daughter of what had happened for fear of causing her to feel uncomfortable or embarrassed about what had happened to her.

"I couldn't believe this man had been so brazen as to take pictures of my young daughter," she said.

The court also heard a statement from one of the young victims, who said the offending had left her "paranoid" about where she went in public.

"I had so many questions going around in my head," she said.

"Why me - what had he done with the photos?"

In another statement, a Tesco staff member said the store is seen as a "safe place," and for "someone like this to come in and violate that makes me feel sick."

Robin Boag, defending, conceded that there had been responses made by the defendant in the preparation of his pre-sentence report which "aren't exactly helpful."

He said: "He is under no illusion as to the seriousness of this matter.

"In the 18 months since he was arrested, there have been no concerns of any further behaviour - despite him not being under any restrictions.

"This defendant has been free to walk around the area throughout that period.

"The defendant's deviation tends to centre on what he describes to the probation officer as a 'leg fetish' relating to females.

"Whatever deviation he has, it is not so overwhelming that he can't control it."

Judge Rhys Rowlands said while the defendant's case was thankfully not a common one, it was nevertheless a "particularly discomforting one" for the victims and their families, as well as the store as a whole.

The Judge said it demonstrated "repeated perverted behaviour" on the defendant's part.

Betts was jailed for 33 months and made the subject of a sexual harm prevention order, as well as registration as a sex offender, for ten years.

Judge Rowlands asked that a letter be sent to the Tesco customer who raised the alarm, thanking him for his public spirited actions, adding: "Had he not done so, this behaviour could have continued."

Description

A SEX offender who was prohibited by a court from looking through people's windows has been back in court after entering a woman's house uninvited.

The Leader reported earlier this year how Gabriel Olah, then of Fairfield Road in Queensferry, had been seen on CCTV footage performing a sex act on himself "outside a domestic property" when a party was happening inside.

District Judge Gwyn Jones told Wrexham Magistrates Court in March that the defendant "purposefully" carried out the sex act outside the residence and made him the subject of a seven-year sexual harm prevention order.

He was prohibited from undertaking a number of behaviours for the duration of that order, including; looking through any window of any private dwelling, entering or remaining on any premises that are not his own without the permission of the occupier (including the driveway and garden), approaching or seeking to approach any female or communicate any sexual remarks with a view to furthering sexual contact including gestures.

Olah, now aged 32 and of Church Street in Flint, appeared at Mold Magistrates Court on Thursday for sentence after being convicted of breaching a sexual risk order / risk of sexual harm order, which took place in Flint last month.

Justin Espie, prosecuting, told the court that the latest offence arose when a Flint woman was sitting in her living room watching TV and she saw a shadow at her window. 

 There was a ring at her front door and when she went to see who it was she found it open with a man standing there.

She told the man to shut the door, and he stepped in - closing it behind him.

The woman didn't understand what he was doing, as she hadn't asked him in.

He appeared to have been drinking and introduced himself as Gabriel.

He asked the woman if she was married, then asked if she was 'happily' married - to which she said she was.

He left, asking her not to call the police.

Mr Espie said the woman wasn't concerned initially, but she posted about the incident on Facebook to let other people know and was sent a news article about a male who was "sent to prison for looking in windows and doing lewd acts."

Ceri Lewis, defending, said Olah had been to a friend's house on the day of the offence and had consumed a large amount of alcohol. 

 He had become "disorientated" on his way home, she said, and approached the woman's property when he saw the light on.

She added: "He has very little recollection of the conversation, but he is extremely remorseful.

"He is aware it is a serious breach."

Ceri Lewis, chair of the bench, handed down a 26-week custodial sentence, but suspended it for 24 months.

Olah must complete the Horizons sex offender treatment programme and has been made subject to a 90-day alcohol abstinence monitoring requirement.

He must also pay £85 costs and a £154 victim surcharge. 

Description

A MAN from Rhyl has returned to prison after not complying with post-custodial requirements following his release, and with the sex offenders registers notification requirements.

David Nash, 27, of Clwyd Street, was released from prison on July 1, and ordered to reside each night at a supported housing project on this street, which is staffed 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Nash was accused of failing to reside there on August 4, 28, 30 and 31.

He admitted to these breaches at Mold Magistrates Court on September 10.

Nash was also accused of failing to comply with notification requirements in regards to the sex offenders register.

These notification requirements include names, addresses, all foreign travel, bank account details and passport information, among others.

He also pleaded guilty to this offence at Mold Magistrates Court on September 10.

Nash was handed a concurrent, 16-week prison sentence.

Description

A man confessed to his illegal activities when his "depraved" collection of child pornography was discovered last summer. Kale Jordan Hughes, originally of Maes Gwyn in Flint, appeared before a judge at Mold Crown Court to be sentenced today.

He admitted downloading just over 670 indecent photos of children as well as distributing four indecent videos at a previous court hearing. He was also found to be in possession of an extreme pornographic video portraying a sexual act involving a dog.

Prosecuting, Thomas Mcloughlin told the court how the National Crime Agency passed along information from Instagram officials to the specialist team at North Wales Police on June 18 last year that a user on the social network had shared out an indecent video of a child. That person was tracked down by their IP address and found to be Hughes.

The 29-year-old handed over a mobile phone - as well as SIM cards and memory cards - after he was arrested at his Flintshire home following a raid, the court heard. When officers asked during an interview with the defendant what their investigation of his phone would reveal, Hughes told them that there would be "everything" on the device, including the saved media alongside web searches.

An array of sexually explicit content featuring mostly girls had been downloaded and stored in "easily accessible places" on the devices, said Mr Mcloughlin. The prosecutor added that the analysts estimated the children featured in the library of indecent images range in age from aged 15 to being "as young as four".

The court heard how Hughes made a confession that, before he was arrested, he had been watching this type of material for "at least five years". He told the police he would seek the content out online, accepting that it was "wrong" and knew it was illegal.

The court heard that Hughes had downloaded the Telegram app just weeks before his arrest in July 2021. It was said that he looked around for groups that specifically shared this kind of content on the app, adding that some had "roughly 10-15" participants.

Defending, Alun Williams, was keen to stress to the court that his client was a "man of good character" before his stash was discovered. Since his arrest, he cooperated with the police "even before they could prove" what he had done and has since "made enquires" about what help is available for people who have this kind of sexual interest.

Judge Rhys Rowlands told Hughes that prison was his only suitable punishment option. Overall, he was sentenced to one year and six months, banned from ever working with children and told to sign up as a sex offender for the next decade.

He said: "These are serious and disturbing offences that are very far from being victimless. Each image is of a child, somewhere in the world, that is being subjected to exploitation to satisfy the depraved interests of people like you."

"You have shown some remorse and insight into your behaviour," the judge accepted. However, he continued by saying that: "the scale of your offending, coupled with the willingness you showed to share such vile images yourself, means that custody cannot be suspended."

Description

A "depraved" sex offender lured young boys to his home with the promise of sweets and fizzy before "taking away their innocence". Colin Eamens, 66, of Nelson Street in Shotton, Flintshire's carried out a campaign of abuse that spanned five decades. while posing a respectable member of the community.

Eamens, 66, admitted to 17 counts of sexual abusing six underage teenage boys from the late 1970s and into the 2010s. He was sentenced to 17 years at Mold Crown Court on Friday.

Prosecutor, Brian Treadwell said Eamens would have children "drop in" and he would often provide them with cigarettes and alcohol, as well as sweets and fizzy drinks. The prosecutor said Eamens would "seek out items" such as computer game consoles and a Sodastream machine to "attract" children to hang out at his home.

Eamens targeted the boys from when he was in his early 20s through his mid-fifties.

He befriended the victims and their parents and had been regarded as a "family friend". Some of the children he would go on to abuse would, on occasions, spend the night at his home.

One victim said Eamens performed a sexual act upon himself in front of the boy which became "something of a habit". This progressed on to the boy having sexual acts performed upon him "on at least 30 occasions", the court was told.

Eamens later raped him one Christmas Day in the 1980s when he was just 15 years old. The abuse carried on for a further two years.

Mr Treadwell said Eamens sexually abused a further five boys over 30 years. He performed sexual acts either in front of or upon the children and on some occasions offered them "cash for sexual favours", the court heard.

Duncan Bould, defending, said Eamens was "very open" when confessing to his actions and is aware that a "significant" prison term awaited him.

Judge Rhys Rowlands jailed Eamens for a total of 17 years for his "disturbing" offences. He praised their "courage" in coming forward.

He said: "It is plain that as a younger man you were prone to behaving in a thoroughly depraved fashion, targeting and subjecting young teenage boys to various forms of sexual abuse. There are six victims, each of whom were young when they were abused by you.

"They had to live with what you did to them while you moved on living your life as though nothing had happened, moving from one victim to another. As youngsters they shouldn't have had a care in the world, but instead you were taking away their innocence and in some respects their childhood."

Speaking after the sentencing, DI Iolo Edwards, said: This has been a protracted and extensive investigation of Eamens activities and we welcome todays sentence. We hope that this sentence brings some closure for the victims who have supported our investigation from its outset."

DI Edwards went on to say that any person affected by sexual violence can seek support anonymously from the North Wales Sexual Assault Referral Centre. They can be reached by calling 0808 1563658.

Description

A sex offender was caught "returning to his old ways" after sharing pictures and videos of child abuse in a "nothing off limits" chatroom. He claimed to be exchanging the illegal images for "normal" pornography online.

Jason William Hannah of Church Street in Flint, had previously been banned from using certain parts of the internet. But he came to the attention of the authorities when he was found back in the dark corners of the web.

The 32-year-old was brought before Mold Crown Court charged with six counts of sharing indecent images of children. In doing so, he had breached part of his Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

The court was told by prosecutor, Mr Michael Whitty, that Hannah was first jailed back in 2015 for 10 months after the police found more than 1,600 images of children being abused on his computer. He was living in the Connah's Quay area at the time.

After being released from prison, the court heard how Hannah "went back to his old ways". Last summer, in June 2021, he downloaded and created a Kik account - a file sharing platform - which is something he was banned from doing by the courts.

The police were alerted by the company that a user was involved in sharing images and videos of children being sexually abused. An investigation soon revealed it was the defendant.

Hannah was arrested in October 2021 when the police searched his property for any electronic devices. His iPhone was taken by the police to be checked but the 32-year-old made "full and frank admissions" about what they'd uncover on the device, said Mr Whitty.

In interview, he spoke about going though a "bad period" in his marriage and how he downloaded the app to seek out "normal" pornography. The dad said he then found himself in a "nothing off limits" chat group where the child abuse material had been shared.

He accepted that he didn't tell anyone about the account because he knew it would "get him into trouble". He also admitted to sharing a total of seven files over the period of a week - all being in the most serious category.

Defending, Mr Bouge, told the court how his client accepts he should not have done what he had done. He added that "thankfully" it appears he only engaged in the activity for a short period of time and that the "sharing" of files only involved one other person.

He said that the pre-sentence report "doesn't really help him at all" as he maintained having "no sexual interest in children". However, according to Mr Bouge, Hannah has accepted this is not the case and has "struggled" to "face up to the fact" this attraction is something he "cannot ignore".

He told the court that his client knows the only realistic option the judge can consider is immediate prison. The defence say that he has also been made aware that this time it would be longer than his last stint behind bars.

Judge Rhys Rowlands agreed, saying that Hannah clearly "hasn't learnt anything" from his last jail sentence. Addressing the defendant, he said that he'll be going back to prison for two years.

"This was a calculated and quite deliberate attempt to bypass the order. You did so in order to further what remains to be a pretty obsessive and worrying need to access these images of children.

"The images themselves were very disturbing. Plainly, you have learnt nothing from your previous time in prison.

"In my view, there is no realistic prospect of rehabilitation with you at present. I'm firmly of that view because of your non-compliance with the existing order and by you retuning to your old ways."