OWEN ROBERTS FROM BARRY SENTENCED TO PRISON FOR SECOND OFFENSE INVOLVING CHILD ABUSE IMAGES IN NEWPORT

In May 2016, Owen Roberts from Barry was sentenced to jail after being caught possessing child abuse images for the second time within two years.

Roberts, who previously received a supervision order in July 2014 following his guilty plea to 16 charges related to child abuse images and videos, faced new charges after police visited his home on Woodlands Road. During the January 2016 raid, officers found Roberts, 26 years old, asleep. When explained that they were executing a search warrant, Roberts admitted to viewing indecent images again and directed officers to a 64GB USB stick.

At Newport Crown Court, it was revealed that Roberts said, 'I don't know why I look at them, I don't know why I do it,' during questioning. Authorities seized two laptops and the USB drive; one computer had a faulty hard drive, while the other had been used to download files that had since been deleted. Prosecutor Andrew Kendall stated that although the files were no longer accessible, their filenames indicated they contained child abuse content.

The USB contained 577 images depicting children as young as six being abused, with 163 classified as the most severe category. It also held 38 videos of children as young as eight being abused, with all but one categorized as the worst tier.

Defense lawyer Adam Sharpe noted Roberts’s attempt to begin a sex offender prevention course and explained that Roberts, who had lost his job as a carpet fitter, had become highly reclusive. 'He lost contact with his friends and family except his mother,' Sharpe said. 'He spends nearly all his time next to his computer, and he admits that the temptation proved too strong.'

Sharpe also mentioned that prison would be especially difficult for Roberts, describing him as a 'shy and timid young man.'

Roberts pleaded guilty to possession and distribution of indecent images— the latter involving the use of file sharing software. Judge Daniel Williams sentenced him to 16 months in prison, emphasizing the severity of his actions: 'You must understand that behind each of these images is a real child, and a real sex offense is being committed against a young child.'