RETIRED TEACHING ASSISTANT FOUND WITH IMAGES OF CHILD ABUSE ON IPAD
A retired teaching assistant was found in possession of images depicting child abuse but when interviewed by police he claimed the images were not indecent.He was also found to have distributed the images to others.
David Wood, 69, was visited by police at his home in Cardiff on September 5 last year and an iPad was seized and searched.
It resulted in the discovery of 12 category A indecent images and four category B indecent images, which had been downloaded between 2023 and 2024.
A sentencing hearing at Cardiff Magistrates' Court on Wednesday heard the images and videos depicted children aged between eight and 15-years-old.
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The defendant had also made searches for terms including "lovechild bums" and "toddler pre teens".
During his police interview, Wood said he did not consider the images to be indecent.
He said he was attracted to boys over 14-years-old, and believed the children in the images were between 15 and 16-years-old.
The defendant said he "did not realise" the images were illegal.
Wood, of Hunter Street, Butetown, later pleaded guilty to two counts of possessing indecent images of children.
The court heard he has no previous convictions.
In mitigation, the court was told the defendant had previously worked as a teaching assistant at a secondary school, but the offences were committed once he had retired.
It was said Wood was a frequent user of social media and had begun speaking to individuals in the USA.
Sentencing, district judge Hayes said: "This has caused me a great deal of concern, primarily you have come to the attention of the police for having distributed indecent images.
"You were interviewed and made some disturbing comments that you did not consider the images to be indecent, but you admitted the offences." The judge said there was a "realistic prospect of rehabilitation" in the defendant's case, primarily due to his previous good character.
Wood was sentenced to 40 weeks imprisonment, suspended for two years.
The defendant was made subject to a rehabilitation activity requirement of 20 days, sex offender notification requirements and a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for 10 years.
He was also ordered to pay £85 in costs and a £154 victim surcharge.
