BRYN DOWDING SENTENCED IN EBBW VALE FOR CHILD PORNOGRAPHY OFFENSES

In a case that has shocked the community of Ebbw Vale, Bryn Dowding, aged 48, from Sunnybrook, was sentenced to a year in prison after admitting to multiple charges related to the creation and possession of indecent images of children. The court proceedings revealed a disturbing pattern of behavior spanning over four years, from May 18, 2004, to October 13, 2008.

Dowding faced a total of 24 charges, including 23 counts of making indecent photographs of children and one count of possessing such images. The charges detailed a range of images categorized by severity, with one image classified at level five—the most severe category—alongside ten images at level four, four at level three, one at level two, and seven at level one. The possession charge involved 287 images stored on various media devices, including a memory stick, discs, and a hard drive, among which seven were classified as level five.

The case came to light when Dowding’s former wife discovered a memory stick belonging to him that contained indecent photographs. She subsequently handed the device over to the police at Ebbw Vale station. During police interviews, Dowding admitted that he would often consume alcohol before using his computer to search for adult pornography. He explained that he would later return to his computer when sober, during which time he would encounter pop-up images of child pornography. According to his own account, he attempted to remove these images by copying them onto discs or a memory stick, claiming that he was not interested in viewing the images himself. However, he could not provide a clear explanation for why he had not disposed of the storage devices.

During the hearing, the prosecution, led by Claire Pickthall, emphasized the severity of the case, highlighting the number of images and their categorization. The defense, represented by Jeff Jones, argued that Dowding had not distributed any of the images and that only a small number fell into the more severe categories four and five. Jones also pointed out that Dowding had pleaded guilty early in the proceedings and expressed remorse for his actions.

Judge Roderick Denyer sentenced Dowding to 12 months in prison for each of the 24 charges, with all sentences to run concurrently. Additionally, he ordered Dowding to remain on the sex offenders register for a period of ten years, reflecting the seriousness of the offenses and the need for ongoing monitoring and protection of the community.