A PAEDOPHILE watched a video of an 18-month-old girl being tortured and sexually assaulted.

Animal charity volunteer William Dean, 29, from Ebbw Vale, had a collection of filth and was caught with more than 1,000 child abuse images.

Police raided his home in September 2021 and found the films and photographs on an iPad and mobile phones, Tabitha Walker, prosecuting, said.

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“The defendant told officers he was horrified he was associated with the torture video,” she added.

Dean had claimed he had no sexual interest in children and was sent the material by others in chatrooms and used the Kik instant messaging platform.

The defendant, of Marine Street, Cwm, pleaded guilty to three counts of making indecent images of children.

He also admitted possession of a prohibited image of a child and possession of an extreme pornographic image.

Dean had 344 category A images, depicting the most serious kind of child abuse, 428 category B images and 604 category C images, Merthyr Tydfil Crown Court heard.

The offences were committed between September 2010 and September 2021.

Alex Daymond, representing the defendant, said his client was a “lonely young man” who had first started using chatrooms to meet women.

“The images were pretty horrendous and he accepts that,” his barrister told the court.

“His arrest came as a relief to him as a way forward to help him.”

Mr Daymond added that Dean was a man of previous good character with no convictions recorded against him and had been assessed as presenting a low risk of reoffending.

Judge Christopher Vosper KC told the defendant: “One of the images was a film of the torture and sexual abuse of an 18-month-old girl.”

He said he was prepared to suspend Dean’s jail sentence.

The defendant was jailed for 32 weeks, suspended for two years.

He must complete a 30-day rehabilitation activity requirement and carry out 150 hours of unpaid work.

Dean must register as a sex offender for the next 10 years and made the subject of a sexual harm prevention order for the same period of time