Locations
Heol Penfelyn, Morriston, Swansea, SA6
Description
A man was found in possession of more than 1,000 images of child abuse and extreme pornography. Children as young as one-year-old were depicted in the sickening images.
Mark Whitelock, 41, was visited by police at his home in Swansea on April 30 last year after they received intelligence relating to indecent images of children being downloaded. A number of electronic devices were seized including a Samsung phone.
A sentencing hearing at Newport Crown Court on Friday heard the phone was found to contain 311 category A images, 181 category B images and 439 category C images. A total of 239 extreme pornographic images, involving animals such as dogs and horses were also recovered.
Prosecutor Andrew Davies said the images depicted penetrative acts carried by adults on children as young as two-years-old. Search terms made by the defendant showed were indicative of his sexual interest in children and animals.
The images were found to have been downloaded between October 2020 and April 2022, but searches for indecent content dated back as far as 2001. The defendant had also used software which automatically deleted his browsing history.
Whitelock, of Heol Penfelyn, Cwmrhydyceirw, was arrested and made no reply to questions. He later pleaded guilty to three counts of making indecent images and one count of possessing extreme images. The court heard he had no previous convictions.
In mitigation, Tabitha Walker said her client had referred himself to the Lucy Faithfull Foundation and Stop SO, and had received counselling as well as joining Sex Addicts Anonymous. She said the defendant's offences stemmed from his addiction to pornography.
The barrister said Whitelock's "overwhelming concern is for his own children and family". She added: "He knows this is not a victimless crime and he has great shame for what he has viewed. He has depressive disorder and has made five suicide attempts.... He hates himself for what he has done."
The Recorder of Cardiff Judge Tracey Lloyd-Clarke sentenced Whitelock to one year and eight months imprisonment. He was made subject to sex offender notification requirements and a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for 10 years.