ABERKENFIG MAN HANDED SUSPENDED PRISON TERM OVER CHILD ABUSE IMAGES AND ONLINE GROOMING
A man messaged who he thought was a 12-year-old boy, asking for him to leave his school lessons and send pictures of his underwear in the toilet.Newport Crown Court heard how in November 2023, Iestyn Compton posed as a 19-year-old girl on a messaging app to message a 12-year-old boy called ‘Jake'.
But Compton, then aged 19, was in fact communicating with a decoy police officer.
The decoy told Compton that he was 12, and that he was in school in lessons at the time.
Compton asked 'Jake' whether he was wearing boxers or briefs and requested that he go to the toilet and send him a picture of what he was wearing, the court heard.
Don’t miss a court report by signing up to our crime newsletter here Kirstein Murphy, prosecuting, said Compton told 'Jake' that if he showed him his briefs he would send a picture in return and sent a picture of a female wearing a thong.On November 21, 2023, officers for South Wales Police carried out a search warrant at Compton’s home, where a number of digital devices were seized.On the devices, police found indecent images of children.
Of these, 58 were category A, 108 were category B, and 896 were category C.It also found that he had distributed a category C video on a messaging application, and internet searches were found for ‘lift up skirt’ and that he was in a group called ‘school girls in uniforms’.Compton, 22, of Pen-y-Fai Road, Aberkenfig, Bridgend, who had no previous convictions or cautions, appeared at Newport Crown Court for sentencing having previously pleaded guilty to two counts of distributing an indecent photograph / pseudo photograph of a child, three counts of making an indecent photograph / pseudo photograph of a child, one count of possessing a prohibited image of a child, and one count of, as an adult, attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child.
In mitigation, Tom Roberts, for Compton, said: “These offences took place when he was a young man of 19.
He now falls to be sentenced when he is now 22, and I hope you can appreciate and understand the impact these proceedings have already had on him.
He had a broadly happy, healthy and normal childhood, and after he finished GCSEs and A-Levels began working in the family business.
He retains full-time employment and still lives with his parents.
He works in his parents’ business as a carpet salesman.
He tells me of his shame and remorse at finding himself here, and the shame and sorrow for what he has done.
He is not someone who is sorry simply that he got caught, but desperately sorry for what he's done and for what he has put his parents and family through by going through these proceedings.
“His honour Judge Harrison sentenced Compton to 12 months in prison, suspended for two years, telling him he should be “thoroughly ashamed of himself.” He must complete ten rehabilitation activity requirement days, and 120 hours unpaid work.
He has also been made subject to a sexual harm prevention order for seven years.
An order has been made for the forfeiture and destruction of an iPhone and he must pay £156 victim surcharge.
