WILLIAM FIELD FROM ABERYSTWYTH SENTENCED FOR CHILD ABUSE IMAGES IN SWANSEA

In May 2021, a disturbing case involving William Field, a resident of Aberystwyth, came to light when police uncovered an extensive collection of child sexual abuse material stored on his electronic devices. The investigation revealed that Field possessed over 420,000 images and videos depicting child abuse, with an additional staggering 1.3 million images that had not been examined or categorized by authorities.

These images ranged widely in age, from infants just a few months old to teenagers, illustrating the horrific extent of the material he had accumulated. The police found that some of the most extreme images, classified as Category A, included footage of babies up to three years old subjected to sadomasochistic acts, including rape and defecation. One particularly distressing video showed a boy between 12 and 24 months being subjected to such acts, highlighting the depravity involved.

During the investigation, officers also discovered that William Field had engaged in the illegal sale of indecent images. He had sold thousands of such images to a known sex offender for a sum of £200. Evidence showed that the transaction was confirmed through a text message exchange between the two men. The police also uncovered images of extreme pornography involving animals, specifically acts of bestiality with a dog, which had been downloaded over a period of ten years.

Authorities found that Field had actively searched for indecent images online, utilizing the Tor browser to access the dark web, which facilitated his illicit activities. The police executed a search warrant at his home in May 2020, during which they seized multiple electronic devices. Although Field was not present at the time, officers conducted a preliminary examination, known as triaging, which revealed the presence of indecent images. Subsequently, they visited his workplace and arrested him.

Further investigations linked Field to communications with another individual, Jamie McPherson, who had been arrested earlier. It was revealed that McPherson had sent Field a hard drive containing over 55,000 images of child abuse, categorized as A, B, and C, along with an additional 98,000 images that had not been checked. The evidence indicated that McPherson paid Field £200 for these images, a transaction confirmed through text messages.

William John Field, aged 54, of Queen Street, Aberystwyth, pleaded guilty to multiple charges, including possession and distribution of indecent images of children across categories A, B, and C, as well as possessing extreme pornography. Despite having eight previous convictions for thirteen offences, none of which were related to this type of crime, the severity of this case was unprecedented in the court's experience.

Judge Paul Thomas QC, presiding over the case at Swansea Crown Court, described the collection of images as the largest he had encountered in his 25 years on the bench. He condemned the images as