Locations
Pontsticill, Merthyr Tydfil
Description
A British paedophile sexually assaulted a toddler and filmed himself performing sex acts in front of them – which he then swapped with other paedos online.
Jonathan Walker, who sexually assaulted a young boy, both downloaded and distributed the disgusting video of babies and children being raped and abused.
According to reports the youngest victim is believed to be an infant, who was only a few months old.
The 33-year-old was apprehended by South Wales Police in a pub car park following a tip-off from the FBI in the US.
As plain-clothed officers attempted to detain Walker, the predator smashed his phone in the hope of destroying any evidence.
According to Wales Online, a judge handed the 33-year-old an extended sentence and said she had "serious concerns" about the risk he posed to children – categorising him as a dangerous offender.
Back in March of this year, Merthyr Tydfil Crown Court heard the force received information from UK's National Crime Agency about Walker's online activity.
Walker was identified as part of an ongoing FBI investigation into images shared on the Kik messaging app.
After his arrest, the prosecutor said Walker answered "no comment" to all questions while interviewed.
His attempts to destroy the contents of his iPhone were futile, and officers managed to uncover more than 160 indecent images and videos – 112 of which were Category A.
Category A is given to the most extreme kinds of sexual abuse – including the "violent rape" of babies in images the prosecutor described as "vile and difficult to comprehend".
Also on the phone were 178 images of extreme pornography involving bestiality.
The court heard officers also found videos Walker had filmed of himself masturbating in front of a young child. Police identified the child in the clips and it then emerged Walker had sexually assaulted the youngster on a number of occasions.
The investigation of the phone also showed Walker had been sharing images and videos with other "like-minded people" on messaging apps Kik, Telegram and Signal.
Jonathan David Walker, of Pontsticill, Merthyr, had previously pleaded guilty to multiple counts of sexual assault by touching, engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child, possession of indecent images, distribution of indecent images and to the possession of extreme pornography when he appeared in the dock for sentencing.
He has a previous conviction for harassing a former partner – an offence for which he was previously given a community order.
Judge Catherine Richards said it was clear from the online chatlogs police had recovered that Walker's abuse and filming of his young victim had been "calculated and planned".
She said she was "seriously concerned" about the risk he posed to children and was sure an extended sentence was necessary to manage that risk.
Walker was made the subject of an extended 13-year sentence comprising seven and a half years in custody followed by a five-and-a-half-year extended licence period.
He can apply to be released after serving two-thirds of the custodial element of the sentence but it will be for the Parole Board to determine if he is safe to be let out.
The defendant will be a registered sex offender for the rest of his life.