FORMER SOLDIER SENTENCED FOR CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE AND EXPLOITATION CRIMES

A former soldier identified as Roy Dykes has been involved in sharing images of child sexual abuse and engaging in sexually explicit online conversations purportedly with a schoolgirl. Court proceedings revealed that Dykes shared indecent images, including the most severe Category A images depicting rape of children, with another individual. He also used online platforms to have sexually explicit chats, sent a video of himself performing a sex act, and attempted to coerce a girl into sexual acts. Dykes's arrest was in July after officers found over 400 indecent images on his devices, with 157 being Category A. During court, Judge Huw Rees highlighted the grave nature of his crimes, noting that the children in the images were real and that the market for such images is driven by 'unhealthy, degenerate and lustful demands' of individuals like him. The court heard Dykes had previously pleaded guilty to various charges including attempted sexual communications with a child and distribution of indecent images, with no previous convictions. The judge sentenced him to 18 months in prison, suspended for two years, and ordered him to complete a rehabilitation course, 180 hours of unpaid work, and be registered as a sex offender for 10 years. Dykes, who served in the Army for 28 years, was described as having experienced a 'considerable fall from grace' and was warned that future offenses would likely not be met with such leniency, despite a belief in his potential for rehabilitation.