RYAN DAVIES OF LLANELLI SENTENCED FOR CHILD SEX IMAGE OFFENSES IN SWANSEA

In May 2020, Ryan Ashley Davies, a former Tesco employee from Llanelli, was sentenced after being found with a large collection of child sexual abuse images and sharing them with others on the dark web.

Police investigation revealed that Davies had actively searched online for images of children as young as four years old. During a court hearing, it was disclosed that Davies had shared indecent images with fellow paedophiles.

Law enforcement officials executed a search warrant at his residence on Trinity Road in Llanelli in August 2018. Officers seized multiple devices, including mobile phones, tablets, and computers from both his home and garage. Sophie Hill, prosecuting, stated that analysis of these devices uncovered over 1,710 indecent images and videos, with 594 categorized as Category-A—the most severe type—including images depicting children as young as four being raped.

Police also discovered approximately 5,000 additional images not categorized by police. Evidence indicated Davies had actively sought out material involving minors and used software to access the dark web.

Further investigation uncovered an online Dropbox account linked to Davies, which was accessible to others, and showed that he had shared around 77 indecent images via the Kik messenger app.

It was not until December 2019 that Davies was apprehended at an address in Ammanford. During his police interview, he claimed to be a 'pornography addict' and stated he viewed the images out of 'curiosity,' denying any intent of exploitation.

Miss Hill explained that the delay in bringing charges, approximately a year, was due to a backlog in forensic analysis caused by limited resources and difficulties locating Davies.

Davies, aged 24, of Princess Court, Llanelli, pleaded guilty to three counts of making indecent images and three counts of distributing them when he appeared before the court for sentencing.

Judge Catherine Richards described Davies as 'persistent and determined' in his pursuit of indecent images and noted that sharing such material encourages actual abuse, as these images depict real children being harmed for the gratification of adults.

Considering his guilty pleas, Davies received a one-third reduction in his sentence, resulting in a total term of two years in prison. He will serve half that sentence in custody before being released on licence for the remainder.

Additionally, Davies was subjected to a sexual harm prevention order to restrict his internet use and was registered as a sex offender for the same duration as the order.