STEPHEN BEARD PONTYPRIDD SEX OFFENDER JAILED FOR CHILD PORNOGRAPHY

In July 2010, a man from Pontypridd was sentenced to prison after being found in possession of an extensive collection of child abuse images and homemade videos depicting sexual acts. Stephen Beard, aged 36, pleaded guilty to a total of 38 charges at Merthyr Tydfil Crown Court, which included 36 counts of creating indecent images of children and two counts of possessing such photographs.

The court was informed that among these charges, two involved particularly large files containing thousands of images, described as “compendious” photo collections. Evidence revealed that Beard had recorded himself engaging in sexual acts while watching children playing in his local area. During these recordings, he could be heard expressing a desire to be discovered in the act, indicating a disturbing level of depravity.

Prosecutor Jeremy Jenkins explained that Beard’s arrest was the result of an investigation in Scotland, known as Operation Defender, which targeted serious sexual crimes involving a 13-year-old girl groomed through social networking platforms. During this operation, authorities apprehended a man in Scotland, and upon examining his computer equipment, they uncovered links to Beard.

It was revealed that several individuals had been communicating with Beard via email, with some exchanges of a sexual nature. Notably, some of these emails were from Beard himself, who had posed as a 12-year-old boy to engage with others online. The police in South Wales responded to this evidence by executing a search warrant at Beard’s residence on Llanwood Road, Pontypridd.

During the raid, Beard admitted to the officers, stating, “You will find child porn on my hard drives.” Investigators recovered multiple DVDs and hard drives containing images and videos of child abuse, categorized from level one to level five, with level five being the most severe. The materials included a vast number of images—one single file alone contained approximately 95,000 photographs—and police also retrieved 39 homemade videos, many with commentary.

The investigation also uncovered that Beard harbored fantasies involving incestuous relationships, although he claimed these were fantasies rather than actions. When questioned about whether he considered himself a paedophile, Beard responded, “I suppose so.”

Defending Beard, who had no prior criminal record, lawyer John Ryan expressed remorse, stating that Beard was disgusted with himself but believed he was not actively harming anyone. Ryan explained that Beard’s previous sexual activity was limited to paid-for pornography on television and that he had experienced self-loathing after reflecting on his behavior.

Judge John Curran sentenced Beard to an extended custodial term of five years, with an actual prison sentence of four years. Upon serving two years, Beard would be eligible for release but would remain on license until the end of the five-year period. Additionally, he was ordered to register as a sex offender for life and was disqualified from working with children in any capacity.