MOUNTAIN ASH MAN JASON DAVIES AND JAKE DUNCOMBE SENTENCED FOR CHILD ABUSE IMAGE OFFENSES IN CARDIFF

In July 2020, a disturbing case emerged involving two housemates from Mountain Ash, who were found to possess and share a horrifying collection of child abuse images. The individuals, Jason Davies and Jake Duncombe, were discovered to have stored and exchanged numerous indecent images across various electronic devices, including phones, laptops, hard drives, and tablets.

Police executed a search warrant at a property located at Newby Court in Cardiff Bay on July 23 of that year. When officers arrived, Davies was the one who answered the door. During the search, authorities seized multiple electronic devices that contained a disturbing array of illegal content. The investigation revealed that both men possessed images classified under Category A, B, and C, which denote increasing levels of severity, along with extreme pornography. Evidence also indicated that the pair had been actively sharing this material between themselves, further compounding the seriousness of their offenses.

During police interviews at Cardiff Bay Police Station, Duncombe admitted to having viewed the images in the past but claimed he had not done so recently. He also acknowledged possessing and distributing the illicit material. Conversely, Davies accepted that he possessed the images but denied any involvement in distributing them. Neither man had prior criminal records, which was noted during sentencing.

Judge Richard Twomlow presided over the case at Cardiff Crown Court. In his remarks, he described the material as “disgusting” and emphasized the harm inflicted upon the victims depicted in the images, noting that these children would have suffered immensely during the creation of such material. The judge pointed out that the distribution was limited to the two defendants and there was no evidence suggesting the material was shared more broadly. Had there been such evidence, the sentence would likely have been more severe.

Recognizing that both men had no previous convictions, Judge Twomlow decided to suspend their sentences. Each was sentenced to 18 months in prison, suspended for two years, and was ordered to complete up to 30 sessions of the Horizon sex offender programme. Additionally, Duncombe was mandated to undertake 100 hours of unpaid work, while Davies was not eligible for unpaid work and was instead subjected to a nine-month curfew. Both men were ordered to pay costs of £210 each, register as sex offenders for a period of 10 years, and were subject to indefinite sexual harm prevention orders to protect the community from future risk.