Craig Davies, 40, of Merthyr Tydfil, spoke with perverts online about sexually abusing an 11-year-old girl
Cardiff Crown Court(Image: Media Wales)
A paedophile who was found with hundreds of indecent images of children being sexually abused was involved in online chats with perverts in which he said he wanted to have sex with his fictitious stepdaughter. When police arrested him, it was later established that he did not have any stepchildren.
Craig Davies, 40, of Merthyr Tydfil, was exposed after police became aware of a user on the Kik messenger app who was engaging in conversation with another about sexually abusing children. He stated in the conversation he had a stepson and a stepdaughter, and spoke about abusing her.
A sentencing hearing at Cardiff Crown Court on Tuesday heard there was also discussion about the defendant going to east London in order to sexually abuse an 11-year-old girl. Don’t miss a court report by signing up to our crime newsletter here.
Officers attended Davies’ address on October 11, 2024, and seized an iPhone.
When the device was examined, hundreds of indecent images were discovered in the recently deleted folder, but the Kik app had been deleted.
Among the material found were; 132 category A images, 61 category B images, nine category C images and 10 extreme pornographic images involving animals.
Prosecutor Zoe Laughrne said the ages of the children depicted in the images were between five and 16-years-old.
Davies, of Lavender Road, Gurnos, later pleaded guilty to three counts of possessing indecent images and one count of possessing extreme pornographic images.
The court heard he has four previous convictions, none of which were similar in nature.
In mitigation, Megan Williams said there was “nobody in the defendant’s life who was under 18-years-old” and the stepchildren he referred to were fictitious.
The barrister said the defendant had been physically attacked as a result of the offences and his car had been damaged. She said her client had been candid about his issues with cocaine and cannabis, which has affected his life for a number of years.
Sentencing, Recorder Mark Powell said: “The court does not minimise the severity of your behaviour, these are very serious offences and children are being damaged because of people like you.”
Davies was sentenced to eight months imprisonment, suspended for 18 months.
The defendant was also ordered to carry out a drug rehabilitation requirement for nine months, a 20 day rehabilitation activity requirement of 20 days and a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for 10 years.
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