Oct 2009

Child porn man given community order

A VALLEYS man given a three year community order after admitting to downloading indecent images of children.

David Plater, 63, of Cwrt Rhyd, Ebbw Vale, pleaded guilty to five counts of making indecent images and one count of possessing indecent images at Cardiff Crown Court at an earlier hearing.

Ruth Smith, prosecuting, told the court police searched Plater’s home after officer’s investigating a case in Scotland came across his e-mail address.

He was arrested on July, 30, 2008, after officers found 38 level one images and one level four image and found evidence that he had used the internet to search for child porn.

Plater also posed as a girl and talked to girls under the age of 16 via internet chat rooms, the court heard.

Ms Smith added that since his arrest he was seen looking at images of naked children on a computer in a Tredegar internet cafe.

Harry Baker, defending, said the material was mainly level one and Plater had accepted what he did was wrong.

Plater was sentenced to a three year community and supervision order and was made to engage in a sexual offenders programme.

He was also banned from using internet chat rooms or using the internet to contact anyone under the age of 18.

He is not allowed to own a computer or any device which can access the internet and is not allowed to be around people under the age of 18 without the consent of parents.

He was disqualified from working with children and will have to report to police regularly for five years.