PAEDOPHILE JAILED FOR BREACH AND INDECENT IMAGES
A paedophile from Deeside who violated a Sexual Harm Prevention Order and was found with hundreds of indecent images and videos of children has been sentenced to prison.Rhys Mason, residing on Highland Avenue in Deeside, appeared at Caernarfon Crown Court for sentencing on Thursday, April 2.
Previously, on March 10, he had been convicted at Wrexham Magistrates Court of multiple charges, including three counts of distributing indecent images or pseudo-images of children, three counts of breaching a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO), and six counts of creating indecent images or pseudo-images of children.
This SHPO was imposed three years prior at Chester Crown Court following similar offences committed in 2020, and it was set to last indefinitely.
The order prohibited Mason from using any internet-connected device unless he notified the police beforehand.
Catherine Elvin, representing the prosecution, explained that Mason’s offences occurred over two separate periods.
The first period ranged from February to June 2024.
During this time, North Wales Police executed a search warrant at Mason’s residence, seizing a mobile phone.
Examination of the device uncovered 148 Category A indecent images, 150 videos of the same category, 90 Category B images and 32 videos, and 111 Category C images along with 70 videos.
Additionally, 105 images indicative of a sexual interest in children were found.
Mason had registered the device with police in February 2024, but he admitted to intending to sell it.
Despite this, he still possessed the device in June, breaching his SHPO.
Further analysis revealed Mason had downloaded apps used for deleting files and internet history, constituting another breach.
The second set of offences occurred between November 2025 and January of the current year.
In January, police searched Mason’s home again following a referral from West Midlands Police, which indicated he had been chatting online with another paedophile.
Chat logs showed communication from November 2025 to December 2025, when the other individual was jailed.
The device contained images sent and received during this period, including six Category A images, three Category B, and 57 Category C images of children aged three to thirteen.
Police also discovered a hidden, broken phone inside Mason's wardrobe another violation of his order as well as a female sex doll and pink children’s underwear at his home.
The second device contained a large collection of prohibited material, including 73 Category A images, 127 videos, 104 Category B images, 70 videos, and 194 Category C images.
Authorities also found 985 images suggesting a sexual interest in children, along with 2,214 additional images not categorized but recognized as child abuse material.
Prosecutors highlighted Mason's criminal history, which includes three previous convictions for ten offences such as distributing indecent images in 2015, breaching another SHPO in 2016, and producing indecent images for which the current SHPO was imposed in August 2020.
Jade Tufail, defending noted Mason’s mental health issues, including autistic traits and a diagnosis of ADHD.
She expressed hope that the sentencing would lead to meaningful intervention, acknowledging Mason’s recognition of his own sexual interests.
Judge Rhys Rowlands described Mason’s conduct as 'truly serious and appalling', condemning his behaviour as 'worrying and reprehensible.' Mason received a four-year prison term, comprising 16 months for creating Category A indecent images and 32 months for distributing similar images.
The sentences for Category B and C offences were to run concurrently.
He will also be subject to an indefinite SHPO, which prevents him from working with children or vulnerable adults upon release, the judge confirmed.
