LLANDRINDOD WELLS MAN WITH A HISTORY OF CHILD SEX OFFENCES AVOIDS JAIL
A POWYS man with a history of child sex offences and an obsession with life size dolls has been spared immediate prison, after downloading pictures of naked girls as young as seven.Wayne Witherston, also known as Shaun Jones, pleaded guilty to all three offences when he appeared at Llandrindod Magistrates' Court in September.
He received a suspended jail sentence at Merthyr Tydfil Crown Court on Thursday, December 4.
Witherston, 55, from Llandrindod Wells, previously admitted one count of possessing indecent images of children, as well as two breaches of a sexual harm prevention order (SHPO), at the spa town’s magistrates’ court in September.
Prosecutor Alexandra Wilson said police made a routine visit to Witherston’s home, at Parkdene, Temple Street, Llandrindod, on June 30, 2024, as part of the conditions of the SHPO he was made the subject of in July 2020 – this was for indecent images offences, for which he received a suspended prison sentence.
The search revealed he was logged into an Instagram account under two different names, which he was not supposed to do.
His phone showed 53 inaccessible images of a Category C nature, featuring naked female children aged seven to 10.
In interview, he claimed he probably didn’t understand the terms of the SHPO and suggested images were pop-ups from pornography sites.
He later said he used Tumblr and remembered downloading images from there a few years ago, which he deleted as he was disgusted with himself.
He has five previous convictions for 15 offences related to child sex imagery and offenses against children.
His criminal history includes convictions in 1997 for sexual offences on minors and a gap in offending until 2020 when he was convicted of possessing and making indecent images.
The court was told he breached a previous suspended sentence order in August 2024, and this is his second breach.
Defence argued he is working well under the current order and has suffered significant childhood trauma, making him vulnerable.
The judge acknowledged progress but noted continued obsession with dolls.
He was sentenced to 16 months in prison for breaches, to be suspended for 18 months, fined £500, and devices were ordered to be forfeited and destroyed.
