A former Saundersfoot soldier has appeared in Crown Court for sentence after being found in possession of sexual video footage of a 13-year-old child in the bath.

Owen Davies, 24, of Pennant Avenue, Saundersfoot, was arrested by police whilst serving at Dalton Barracks, Abingdon, on August 4, 2020.

Police officers seized his phone and computer for subsequent examination.

The phone was found to contain a short video of a sexual nature amounting to around 26 seconds in length of a young 13-year-old girl in a bath.

Three similar photographs were found on his computer, this time of a young girl aged between 11 and 13, who was also in a bath.

The Crown confirmed that all files had been created on March 24, 2019 as a result of a Whatsapp conversation.

Whatsapp carries the facility to delete and also report all unacceptable images however the images remained on Davies’ phone and computer for the following 16 months.

Davies, who pleaded guilty to two charges of posssessing indecent Category B and C images of a child, was represented in court by Jon Tarrant who claimed his client had acted ‘naively’.

“He has been reckless in the way he has dealt with the internet and there is a degree of naivety here, rather than insidious traits,” he said.

Mr Tarrant went on to say that the crimes have had a major bearing on the defendant as well as on his parents, both of whom were present in court to hear today’s sentence.

“At the time of the offences my client was engaged with the army but that has now ended because, in the main, of the matters which we’re dealing with today.

“I’ve asked him if he’d still be there [the army] if this hadn’t happened and his answer was yes, he probably would be.

“This issue has had a significant impact on my client and also his parent because of the degree of shame it has brought on them.

“And there have also been some repercussions. These will not drift away and as a result of today, there will be more comments directed at him. There is some degree of psychological deficit here which won’t be easily remedied.”

Imposing sentence, Judge Catherine Richards said that following a full pre-sentence report from the probation service, Davies represented ‘a middle risk of harm’ to all girls between the ages of 10 and 15.

“These were images of a real child who was being exploited for the sexual gratification of adults,” she said.

“The content of the pre-sentence report poses you as a middle risk of harming all girls between the ages of 10 and 15 and we have to consider the risk you currently present.”

Owen Davies was sentenced to a two year community order and 20 days of rehabilitation.

He must also carry out 120 hours of unpaid work and will remain on the sex offenders register for five years as well as a sexual harm prevention order to check and restrain his online activity. 

A forfeiture and destruction order was made on his Apple iPhone and computer.  Owen Davies must also complete 23 days on the I-horizon programme hich is a treatment programme for internet sex offenders.