BLACKWOOD PAEDOPHILE KEPT OFFENDING WHILE ATTENDING REHAB
A known sex offender continued his inappropriate behavior while attending rehabilitation sessions after being sentenced to community service for downloading images related to child abuse and bestiality.During his participation in an offender management program, Thomas James from Blackwood was found to have stored a photograph of a 15-year-old girl engaging in a sexual act with herself using a hairbrush.
He was apprehended last summer when Gwent Police officers supervising him in the community discovered this material on his Samsung mobile phone.
Further investigation revealed that the 25-year-old had attempted to initiate “sexual discussions” online with underage children, the court was told by prosecutor Joshua Scouller.
Additionally, James had installed and subsequently deleted apps like DuckDuckGo and Snapchat, which he was expressly forbidden from doing.
Residing on Glanhowy Road, Wyllie, James was previously given a 30-month community order and placed under a five-year sexual harm prevention order (SHPO) in November 2020.
Soon after that, he resumed offending.
He pleaded guilty to attempting to engage in sexual communication with a minor, possessing indecent images of children classified as categories A, B, and C, and breaching the SHPO.
He also admitted to possessing 47 explicit images depicting women having sexual intercourse with dogs.
The criminal acts occurred between January 21, 2021, and August 28, 2023.
His defense lawyer, Harry Baker, urged the court to acknowledge his client’s guilty pleas.
Judge Paul Hobson addressed James directly, stating: “I have no doubt that your offending is driven by a sexual interest in children.
The stark reality is that if you continue along this route, you will face increasingly lengthy prison sentences.” James was sentenced to two years and eight months in jail, with the court informing him that he would serve half of that sentence before being eligible for release on parole.
The time he has spent in custody since his arrest will be deducted from this term.
He is also required to pay a statutory victim surcharge.