June 2018

Men shared indecent images of children based on hentai-style cartoons

A JUDGE has heard how two men shared indecent images based on the Japanese hentai-style cartoon characters.

Ifan Evans, 31, of Brynawel, Cross Inn, Llanon, was at the time already the subject of a community order for previous similar offending.

Evans admitted possessing indecent images of children and breaching a sexual harm prevention order issued in February, 2015, for 14 offences of having indecent images.

Stephen Brown, aged 30, of Terrace Road, Aberystwyth, admitted two offences of possessing child pornography.

Judge Paul Thomas told Swansea Crown Court he was worried about Evans’ continued offending and said he needed time to consider what sentence to pass.

Evans was remanded into custody and will be sentenced on Tuesday.

Brown was made the subject of a three-year community order, told to complete 30 days of a rehabilitation activity and 150 hours of unpaid work.

He was also issued with a sexual harm prevention order limiting his access to children and his computer activity and told to register with the police as a sex offender.

Stephen Rees, prosecuting, said after Evans had been sentenced in 2015 he was subjected to periodic checks by police officers.

On 19 November 2016, officers noticed suspicious images of a cartoon-like nature on a computer but when they returned the images had been deleted, which Evans had been ordered not to do under the SHPO.

At first Evans denied that he had downloaded the images and said Brown had had access to his computer.

Police examined Brown’s computer equipment and found indecent images of a girl aged about five and 790 hentai-style cartoons similar to those Evans had been looking at.

Judge Thomas told Brown, “If you breach this community order I will send you to jail.

“These images may have been real or otherwise but they show you have an interest in young children and that is very worrying for the courts.

“We have to protect the public and you are close to needing a prison sentence,” he added.