A paedophile found with sickening images of children as young as six months old being abused threw his phone out of the window when police raided his mother’s home. He told officers: “I didn’t upload images, I just looked at them.”
Curtis Hale, 27, was arrested after a warrant was executed at his home in Newport on March 19 last year. After being invited into the property by the defendant’s mother, officers found him in bed in a state of “agitation and confusion”.
A sentencing hearing at Cardiff Crown Court on Thursday heard that upon being told the warrant was related to indecent images of children, Hale turned his back and attempted to conceal a mobile phone in his tracksuit bottoms. He then threw the phone out of the bedroom window and also held the top half of his body out of the window. For the latest court reports sign up to our crime newsletter here.
There was scuffle between officers and the defendant as they attempted to arrest him, and he resisted as he was placed in handcuffs. He said: “I didn’t upload images, I just looked at them.” He continued to struggle with one officer receiving a small cut and rip to his coat.
Two mobile phones were seized and analysed, which resulted in the discovery of a total of 658 indecent images of children. Prosecutor Cat Jones said there were 456 category A images, 182 category B images and 20 category C images. One of the category A videos depicted a 10-year-old girl being raped. Further images showed a child between six and 12-months-old being subjected to a penetrative assault. There were also four extreme images which showed a woman being raped.
Hale, of Lliswerry Park Drive, pleaded guilty to three counts of possessing indecent images of children, possessing extreme pornographic images, and obstructing a constable in the execution of their duty. The court heard he was of previous good character.
In mitigation, Harry Baker said his client is “vulnerable” and terrified of going to prison. The barrister added: “He’s more trouble than the prison needs because they will have to look after him.”
Sentencing, Recorder John Philpotts said he believed the defendant’s expressions of remorse were genuine. He sentenced Hale to 12 months imprisonment suspended for two years. He was also ordered to carry out an alcohol treatment requirement of nine months, a mental health treatment requirement of eight sessions, a 26 sessions of an accredited programme, a 10 day rehabilitation activity requirement, to sign the sex offenders’ register and made subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for five years.
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