Jan 2012

Tycroes teacher spared jail over child photos

AN ART teacher from Tycroes who was caught with more than 1,000 indecent images of children has been banned from working with children ever again.

Most of the 1,038 photographs in Richard Lewis’s possession were category one – at the lower end of the scale of seriousness, Swansea Crown Court was told.

However, prosecutor Christine Jones said two were category two and one was category four.

Lewis, aged 57, of 2 Heol Hafod, received a three-year community order and was told to attend a group work programme for sex offenders after pleading guilty to making and possessing indecent images of children.

Passing sentence, Judge Keith Thomas said while the case had involved a “relatively large” quantity of such images, the defendant had already served the equivalent of an eight month jail term.

Ms Jones said the images came to light after police examined computer equipment belonging to him. Lewis had initially been on bail, but he was remanded in custody last September after breaching his conditions.

Miss Jones added that the prosecution accepted that Lewis had not been involved in distributing any images.

Lewis was told he would also have to register as a sex offender for five years, as well as being disqualified indefinitely from working with children.