Locations
Maes Y Drudwen, Caerphilly, South Glamorgan, Caerphilly, CF83
Description
Sam Picone, 24, from Caerphilly, worked with vulnerable students at a high school and volunteered at a club for gymnasts aged between six and 14.
He had been watching indecent images involving children aged between four and 14 as well as extreme pornography showing sex between adults and animals.
Georgina Buckley, prosecuting, told Cardiff Crown Court: This case relates to images found on the defendants telephone.
A search warrant was executed at his parents address on February 16 and the police were told he had moved out of the address and was likely on his way to work.
The defendant was working as a teaching assistant in a comprehensive school in the Cardiff area and it is understood that his role involved working directly with vulnerable children.
The police caught up with him at school and when confronted with the allegations he told them he had seen indecent images online on his mobile phone but had not saved them.
He then handed his mobile phone to the police and gave them access.
Miss Buckley added: Following his arrest he told the police about a section within the Snapchat app labelled For My Eyes Only.
It is relevant that within this section was a number of images that appeared to relate to the gymnastics club of which the defendant volunteered.
None of these images were indecent but were considered by the police as inappropriate It is understood the defendant volunteered at a local gymnastic club in his spare time and the children who attend there are aged between six and 14 years of age.
Picone pleaded guilty to making 13 category A images, the most serious kind, three category B and four category C images.
Both the school and club were not named at Cardiff Crown Court.
Picone also admitted possession of an extreme pornographic image.
The court was told that the defendant, represented by Ben Waters, had no previous convictions.
Judge Niclas Parry told Picone: What you need to understand, and Im sure that you do, is that everything you were viewing was actually happening to these children and these dreadful and disgraceful things happen because people are viewing them.
He added: There is significant mitigation. First of all youve pleaded guilty immediately.
Secondly, youve never been in trouble before.
Thirdly, youve lost everything your job, the career that youve trained for and the voluntary work that youve trained for.
Picone, of Maes Y Drudwen, Caerphilly, was sentenced to a three-year community order.
The defendant was made the subject of a 30-day rehabilitation activity order and he must complete the Horizon sex offender programme and carry out 80 hours of unpaid work.
He will have to register as a sex offender for the next five years and was made the subject of a sexual harm prevention order for the same period.