Blackwood man who had 1,500 child sex pictures spared jail (From South Wales Argus)

Blackwood man who had 1,500 child sex pictures spared jail

12:10pm Saturday 2nd February 2013 in News By Ben Frampton - Crime reporter

A BLACKWOOD man was spared jail after being found with almost 1,500 indecent pictures of children.

Police raided the home of Adam Gibbons, 20, on August 9 last year after receiving information he was downloading indecent images of children.

When his house was searched, police found images on a USB stick, external hard drive, laptop and computer.

Newport Crown Court heard police found 1,499 indecent images of youngsters as young as ten; 931 were level one, 91 were level two, 299 were level three, 144 were level four and 34 were of the most severe category, level five.

Gibbons, of Canberra Close, Blackwood, admitted to police that he had downloaded the pictures for his own gratification over the past two years.

He pleaded guilty to 15 counts of making indecent images of children and one count of possession of indecent images of children.

Defending, Andrew Jones, said Gibbons gave a remarkably frank interview to police and said his pre-sentence report noted he had feelings of disgust in himself over what he had done, as well as losing his partner and his job.

The court heard that, following his appearance in magistrates’ court, vandals daubed the words 'paedo scum' on his family home.

Record Jeremy Jenkins said: "No-one, reading a synopsis of these images, could feel anything but utter revulsion, you are looking at abuse of children in the most vile way."

Gibbons was given a three-year community order for each offence, to be served concurrently, and told to attend the internet sexual offender’s programme. He was also disqualified from working with children for five years, ordered to sign on the sex offenders' register and given a sexual offences prevention order for the same period of time.

Recorder Jenkins said he was not imposing a prison sentence because the maximum length he could give, two years, would not be enough time for any treatment programmes to be successful.

His computer equipment will be forfeited and destroyed.