RICHARD HIGGINS FROM CHEDDAR CAUGHT WITH OVER 1,000 CHILD INDECENT IMAGES AT NANTGAREDIG CARAVAN PARK

In a disturbing case that has shocked the local community, Richard Higgins, a resident of Cheddar, was found to be in possession of a staggering number of indecent images of young children while staying at a caravan park in Nantgaredig. The incident unfolded in March of the previous year, when police officers from Dyfed-Powys visited Higgins at the Towy Valley Caravan Park. During their inspection of his Lenovo laptop, authorities uncovered troubling evidence that would lead to a serious criminal investigation.

Initially, a brief examination of the device revealed internet search histories that included terms such as ‘teen girls,’ raising suspicions about the nature of the content Higgins was viewing. A subsequent forensic analysis confirmed these suspicions, revealing a total of 1,294 indecent images of children stored on the laptop. These images were categorized into different levels of severity: 44 images classified as Category A, indicating the most serious content; 51 images as Category B; and a large number, 1,183 images, as Category C. The severity of these images underscores the disturbing nature of the material Higgins possessed.

The Swansea Crown Court was informed that, although Higgins had no prior criminal convictions, he was subject to a sexual risk order issued by Worcester Magistrates’ Court in March 2018. This order was a result of previous incidents where Higgins had exhibited sexually inappropriate behavior towards adult women. As part of the conditions attached to this order, Higgins was required to make any internet-enabled devices available for police inspection, a measure intended to monitor and prevent further offenses.

Prosecutor Dean Pulling detailed the timeline of the illegal material, stating that the images dated from June 20, 2020, to March 9, 2021. The images depicted children as young as two years old being subjected to sexual abuse and rape, a revelation that highlights the severity of the crimes involved. Additionally, Higgins had visited numerous websites known for hosting indecent images of children, further demonstrating his ongoing engagement with such material.

Following his arrest, Higgins was interviewed by police, during which he admitted to having a serious problem. He confessed, “There is a fair amount of images on there, I have a problem and couldn’t help myself from looking at them. It started with images of category C but then developed and I was looking at them seven days a week.” The 53-year-old also revealed that he had saved thousands of images onto memory sticks, which he subsequently threw into the river and into ditches after police seized his laptop, attempting to destroy evidence.

Higgins appeared before Swansea Crown Court for sentencing, having previously pleaded guilty to three counts of making indecent images of a child. Judge Paul Thomas QC addressed him directly, emphasizing the devastating impact of his actions. “You need to understand that very young people of ages two and three are being physically and psychologically damaged and it will affect them for the rest of their lives. They will probably never recover from that experience. The reason it’s happening is people like you want to see images of it. These are very real, and very young, and very much suffering individuals.”

The judge also commented on Higgins’ attempt to destroy evidence, stating, “You threw some memory sticks in the river. It is likely what police were able to recover was the tip of a much larger iceberg.”

As part of his sentence, Higgins was given a 10-month prison term, suspended for 18 months. He is also required to complete 25 days of rehabilitation activity, perform 150 hours of unpaid work, and attend a specialized sexual offender rehabilitation program called Horizon. Furthermore, a deprivation order was issued concerning his laptop, aiming to prevent further access to illegal material and to serve as a reminder of the serious nature of his crimes.