Tristan Hughes 34

Description

A "devious" sex offender was branded a "danger to children" after being found with indecent images for the fourth time. Tristan Richard Hughes, of Henllan in Denbigh, is again behind bars after he was found with a stash of images of young girls.

The 32-year-old was charged with breaching his sexual harm prevention order. He was also charged with making and distributing indecent images of children.

It came after his family had told police he was hiding secret devices. At Mold Crown Court on Thursday, Judge Niclas Parry jailed him for three years.

Prosecuting, Jemma Gordan, told the court how Hughes, who has been diagnosed with autism, is currently under the eye of the authorities through a sexual harm prevention order. This bans him, amongst other requirements, from having access to electronic devices that they do not know about.

The court heard how, in November 2021, North Wales Police were contacted by Hughes' own sister to state that her brother wasn't following the terms of the order. When police officers came to Hughes' home address in Denbigh the same day, they were met by his sister who said that Hughes had disclosed to her that he had a phone and a laptop the authorities did not know about.

When he was later interviewed, he admitted to breaching the order by having the devices. However, he maintained that police would not find anything on the computers that breached his order.

Ms Gordan said that the laptop and mobile phone were then forensically analysed and his lies were soon exposed. Both were found to contain dozens of indecent images of young girls, roughly aged between the ages of seven and 12.

Previously, Hughes had been handed a suspended sentence in 2013 for making and possessing indecent images of children. However, in November 2015, he was jailed for 21 months after the then Llandrillo College student was found with more indecent images on his mobile phones.

His last court appearance, the prosecutor said, came in October 2020. Hughes was dealt with for a further charge relating to creating indecent images and was handed a two year suspended sentence.

The defence, Simon Kileen, said that Hughes is "terrified" at the prospect of returning to jail, having already served a sentence behind bars. However, he and his family understand that there would be "absolutely no alternative" for the judge.

Mr Kileen also told the court how Hughes' autism diagnosis plays a "major role" in his day-to-day thinking as well as the actions he chooses to take. He submitted that this was a factor the judge should account for when sentencing.

Judge Parry, passing a sentence of three years in total, branded Hughes a "devious" offender who was "a danger to children". He was said to have wasted the "remarkable opportunities" that the court afforded him.

The judge said: "Quite simply, you have run out of chances. You are devious and you will lie to your family and those who want to help you - all because of this desire that you have to satisfy your admitted attraction to young children.

"It is to your family's credit that they saw the danger and alerted the authorities. They didn't do that to get you in trouble, they did that to stop you from getting yourself into further trouble down the line."

The judge ordered that the existing sexual harm prevention order, which will run up to 2030 at present, should remain in place. His secret devices were ordered to be destroyed.