STUART KEARN FROM CEFNYBEDD JAILED FOR CHILD SEX ABUSE IMAGES IN MOLD

In June 2016, a man from Cefnybedd named Stuart Roy Kearn was sentenced to serve 18 months in prison after admitting to multiple serious charges related to child sex abuse images. The case was heard at Mold Crown Court, where Kearn, aged 42 and residing on Mold Road in Cefnybedd, pleaded guilty to 13 separate offences involving the creation, possession, and distribution of indecent images of children.

The authorities uncovered a disturbing collection of material on Kearn’s devices, which included over 2,700 images and approximately 430 videos. Among these were extremely graphic and disturbing images involving sexual acts between humans and animals, highlighting the depraved nature of the material he had stored. The court was told that Kearn had shared these images with others through peer-to-peer file sharing software, and email accounts had been set up specifically for the purpose of distributing such content.

During the sentencing hearing, Kearn attempted to justify his actions by claiming that he downloaded and shared the images in an effort to catch paedophiles and protect children. However, Judge Rhys Rowlands dismissed this explanation as “patent nonsense,” noting that such claims were common and appeared to be a standard excuse he had heard multiple times recently. The judge suggested that Kearn had likely picked up this justification from the internet, implying it was a well-worn narrative used by others involved in similar crimes.

In his testimony, Kearn revealed that he was experiencing suicidal thoughts at the time of his offending. He expressed fears about paedophiles operating in his local area and admitted that if he encountered one, he might have reacted violently, saying, “beat him to a pulp, I don’t know.” He also confessed to contemplating harming himself or others, stating that he had thought about “taking one with me,” but he acknowledged that he had not contacted the police to report any suspicions or intentions. The court found his reasoning and explanations to be inconsistent and lacking credibility, with Judge Rowlands emphasizing that such justifications were “doing the rounds” and had no real basis.

Prosecutor Ffion Tomos highlighted the severity of the case, noting that the images and videos depicted children as young as two years old, with some of the material being particularly heinous and disturbing. The case was further aggravated by the fact that the abuse had been ongoing for three years, and the nature of some images was especially depraved.

Law enforcement officers executed a warrant under The Protection of Children Act at Kearn’s home in March of the previous year. During the search, authorities discovered the illicit material stored on a laptop, two USB drives, and nine CDs. They also found evidence of file sharing software and email accounts set up explicitly for sharing and distributing the images.

Kearn was arrested and subsequently interviewed by police, during which he claimed that his actions were motivated by a desire to trap paedophiles online. His defense lawyer, Philip Clemo, described Kearn as a man suffering from social isolation and trauma following the breakdown of his marriage. The defense argued that Kearn had no prior convictions and that the prospect of imprisonment would be devastating for him, emphasizing the emotional toll such a sentence would have.

Judge Rhys Rowlands made it clear that, despite Kearn’s apparent remorse, his behavior was “quite depraved,” and the suffering inflicted on the young victims was immeasurable. The judge also noted that Kearn appeared to be in complete denial about the severity of his actions. As part of his sentence, Kearn was ordered to register as a sex offender with the police for the next ten years and was subject to a ten-year sexual harm prevention order, reflecting the serious nature of his crimes and the potential risk he posed to the community.