TEEN WITH SICKENING CHILD ABUSE IMAGES SENTENCED TO COMMUNITY ORDER
A teenager was found in possession of "sickening" images of children including a baby being sexually abused.He was also found to have distributed images in vile chats with paedophiles, and when asked what images he had he replied: "How young do you want?" Owain Hammett, 18, was visited by police at his home in Cardiff on January 13 last year, when the defendant was 17-years-old.
An investigation had been launched after a category A image of a child being abused had been uploaded to Snapchat in 2024.
A sentencing hearing at Cardiff Crown Court on Wednesday heard two mobile phones were seized by the police, and Hammett provided the PIN numbers.
The phones were investigated by the digital forensic unit and a number of indecent images of children, aged between 0 and 16 were discovered, as well as extreme and prohibited images.
The images were found in category A, B, and C.
The illegal material was found in conversations on Sessions, a private messaging platform, which had been shared between the participants.
Prosecutor Zoe Laughrne said the defendant was also found to have distributed images, with one user asking him "Have you got any images" and Hammett responding: "How young do you want?" Hammett, of George Close, Gwaelod y Garth, pleaded guilty to making and distributing indecent images, and possessing extreme and prohibited images.
The court heard he has no previous convictions.
In mitigation, Ieuan Bennett said his client "comes from a respectable background" and since this incident has been "kept on a short reign" by his parents in terms of his access to the internet.
He said the defendant is at university in Chester, and described him as "intelligent, a good sportsman, speaks Welsh and had his whole life ahead of him".
Since his arrest, Hammett has carried out work with the Lucy Faithfull Foundation and has undertaken a number of courses.
Sentencing, Judge Shomon Khan said: "The examples of what were found were sickening, a baby being raped.
My stomach, despite my experience in court, is sickened to its core.
"If you committed these offences as an adult, you would be sentenced to imprisonment today.
You now understand the full horror of your criminality.
You now understand these are real children suffering physically and psychologically.
That harm may be lifelong." Hammett was sentenced to an 18-month community order.
The defendant was also ordered to carry out 80 hours unpaid work, a 25 day rehabilitation activity requirement and to pay costs of £150.
