A PEMBROKESHIRE man caught with hundreds of images of child sex abuse and bestiality on his phone has avoided jail.

Paul Godbold, 37, of Spring Grove in Haverfordwest, had initially denied charges of making indecent photographs of categories A, B and C, as well as possessing extreme pornography.

However, in February, on the day before his trial was set to begin, he admitted the offences.

Prosecutor Dean Pulling said that police raided Godbold’s address on April 14, 2021, and seized a mobile phone which had 543 indecent images of children on it.

276 of these were Category A – the most serious – images, 139 were Category B images, and 128 were Category C images.

Mr Pulling said the items found on Godbold’s phone included images of children “as young as five or six” being sexually abused by adults.

There were also two extreme pornographic videos, which involved bestiality between adult women and animals.

The defendant also used a secure storage application on his phone, as well as other applications to share messages and media with other users.

Internet searches had been made on Godbold’s phone for “PTHC” – meaning pre-teen hardcore – and “young”.

“He denied any responsibility for what was on that phone,” Mr Pulling said about Godbold’s first two police interviews.

The defendant instead claimed the messaging apps were used to discuss gaming and share cheat codes.

“He said he was not sexually attracted to children,” Mr Pulling said.

Judge Paul Thomas expressed concern that Godbold “only pleaded guilty out of convenience” to avoid a prison sentence, and did not accept responsibility for his actions.

“You cannot have your cake and eat it,” he put to the defendant.

Mr Davies, defending, said Godbold was of previous good character, and had pleaded guilty and admitted that he needed help after a discussion with his wife.

Judge Thomas described the images on the defendant’s phone as “stomach-churning”.

“These are not just images,” he said. “They represent real children somewhere in the world who are being sexually abused and their lives ruined so that people like you can masturbate over them.”

Godbold received a 10-month sentence for the Category A images, suspended for two years. He also received six months for the Category B charge, and four months each for the Category C and extreme pornography charges, running concurrently.

He must complete the Horizon Programme and a rehabilitation activity requirement, as well as 160 hours of unpaid work.

The defendant must also register as a sex offender for 10 years, and was made the subject of a five-year sexual harm prevention order.

Judge Thomas warned Godbold: “If in the next two years you commit any other offence, and believe me the police will be checking on you regularly, if you are found in possession of just one such image, you will come back to court and you will be sent to prison.

“I will send you to prison. Is that perfectly clear?”