UNIVERSITY ACADEMIC IAN CONNOR FROM RUTHIN SPARED JAIL DESPITE ADMISSION OF VIEWING CHILD ABUSE IMAGES IN CAERNARFON

In March 2019, Dr. Ian Connor, a 53-year-old university academic from Ruthin, was spared imprisonment after admitting to possessing and distributing indecent images of children, ranging from the most serious to less severe categories.

Connor, who had established a fake Twitter account and used Bangor University’s Wi-Fi for his illicit activities, was found guilty of viewing and sharing materials depicting severe child abuse. Specifically, he admitted to distributing three especially heinous images and producing 41 additional images of lesser seriousness.

During the hearing at Caernarfon Crown Court, Judge Huw Rees acknowledged Connor’s long career in education but emphasized his involvement in online conversations of an 'extreme' nature. Connor had expressed a disturbing desire to go "kiddie hunting," which the judge noted demonstrated significant harm.

Judge Rees stated, "You should be entirely ashamed of your actions as I think you are. Showing any interest in such images creates a demand for further abuse of children.”

Although Connor had been made redundant from his employment—unrelated to his arrest—and had secured a new job outside education, the court found that he was not allowed to work within educational settings. His arrest also impacted his marriage.

The judge considered a prison sentence but ultimately decided on a community order, citing that imprisonment would be "a relatively short sentence" and focusing instead on addressing Connor’s "perverted lust" for viewing child abuse images.

Connor’s legal representative argued that internet users involved in such perversion often engage in "banter" without any intention of acting on their fantasies, perhaps implying a lack of genuine threat in his case.