Morriston man jailed after police uncover thousands of child abuse images

Kyle Jones, 42, was first flagged to officers when a Kik messaging account linked to him uploaded Category A child abuse videos online in 2023. He denied everything in interview — but the evidence told a very different story.

A joint investigation by South Wales Police’s Online Investigation Team and the Digital Forensics Unit traced the material back to devices belonging to Jones. What they found was vast and serious: thousands of images and videos, including a large number in the most extreme category.

Jones eventually admitted a string of offences. He had been making and distributing indecent images of children, as well as possessing prohibited images and extreme material involving animals.

He has now been jailed for 28 months.

Detective Constable Thomas Connick said Jones “knew exactly what he was doing” and that his actions had caused “immense distress” to his family and community.

“Offences involving these images are not victimless,” he said. “People who access them create a demand that can only be met by the further abuse of vulnerable individuals. South Wales Police will continue to target anyone who enables or encourages this.”

Carmarthenshire pensioner jailed for abducting and drugging 15‑year‑old girl

Dyfed‑Powys Police said Richard Knight, of Pendine, was sentenced to three years and nine months after admitting a string of drug offences and making indecent images of children, and after changing his plea to guilty on the child abduction charge moments before his trial was due to begin at Swansea Crown Court.

Police said the case began in the early hours of 11 April 2022 when a distressed mother called officers after receiving a panicked phone call from her 15‑year‑old daughter, who said she wanted to come home after taking drugs at Knight’s house.

Officers forced entry into the property when they got no answer at the door. Inside, they found a small cannabis grow but no sign of Knight or the girl. Police later learned Knight had driven the teenager home and he was arrested when he returned to the address.

Dyfed‑Powys Police said Knight was initially arrested on suspicion of drink‑driving, possession of cannabis with intent to supply and supplying cannabis to a child. A further search uncovered a range of controlled drugs and several digital devices.

The victim later told officers she believed Knight knew she was 15 and knew she would not be telling her mother where she was going. She described being given a range of drugs, including some placed on a fruit pastel sweet. Police said CCTV showed Knight buying fruit pastels in a local shop shortly before picking her up.

A forensic examination of Knight’s devices uncovered 1,101 indecent images of children, including 122 in category A, the most serious classification. Officers also seized six different types of Class A drugs from the property. Police drugs experts valued the cannabis grow at between £6,000 and £20,000.

Knight admitted the drug offences in April 2025 and later pleaded guilty to three counts of making indecent images of children. He denied abducting the girl until the day his trial was due to start in January 2026, when he changed his plea.

Detective Constable Jon Gouldson, who led the investigation, said Knight had “groomed a young and vulnerable girl for his own satisfaction”.

“There is no doubt that Richard Knight knew that taking this 15‑year‑old girl into his home was wrong and ultimately amounted to child abduction,” he said.

“Taking a child without a parent’s permission is a crime. There are no grey areas here. We welcome today’s sentencing and want to be clear that arranging to take a child without a parent’s permission, or creating or possessing indecent images of children, is illegal and has serious consequences.”

Police said the case shows the lengths officers will go to in order to investigate child‑protection offences and bring offenders to justice.

Army Cadet leader exposed as paedophile after police raid

Police raid uncovers vile stash

Michael Monks, 55, of Russell Terrace, Carmarthen, was arrested after officers executed a search warrant at his home in May 2022. Forensic investigators discovered more than 40 indecent images of children — including 25 in the most serious Category A — along with extreme pornography.

The court heard Monks was part of a group on the encrypted Wickr app where members “traded” child abuse images. He had swapped four of his own images with others.

Cadet leader in Llanelli

At the time of his arrest, Monks was serving as a leader at the Army Cadet centre in Llanelli. Judge Paul Thomas KC told Swansea Crown Court the images were of “real children somewhere in the world being horribly abused so people like him — that is, paedophiles — could masturbate over them.”

Guilty pleas and sentence

Monks admitted multiple counts of possessing, making and distributing indecent images of children, plus possessing extreme pornography. He had no previous convictions.

He was sentenced to 12 months in prison, suspended for 12 months, ordered to complete a rehabilitation programme, and told to carry out 200 hours of unpaid work. He will remain on the sex offenders register for 10 years and is subject to a sexual harm prevention order restricting his internet use.

Judge slams delay

The case took more than three years to reach court. Prosecutors admitted there was “no reasonable explanation” for the delay after police received forensic evidence in March 2023 but charging advice was not sought until January 2025. Judge Thomas branded the delay “wholly unacceptable.”

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Swansea student jailed for 15 years for raping and threatening teenage girl

Grooming and abuse

Swansea Crown Court heard that Mohammed Raihan, 22, of Phillip’s Parade in the city centre, was a third‑year software engineering student when he targeted the girl in the summer of 2024. He groomed her before carrying out a series of sexual assaults, including two rapes.

When the victim told him his actions were hurting her, the court was told Raihan chillingly replied: “Good.”

The abuse left the teenager traumatised. In a statement read to the court, she described how she no longer felt safe going out alone, constantly looked over her shoulder in fear of being followed, and panicked whenever a man came near. She said she felt like “a different person” from the girl she had been before encountering Raihan.

Threats to silence the victim

After the girl reported the abuse to police, Raihan contacted her and made threats in an attempt to force her to withdraw her complaint. Despite this, she stood firm and later gave evidence in court, which was key to securing his conviction.

When officers arrested Raihan, they also discovered indecent images of children on his phone, ranging from Category A — the most serious — to Category C.

Sentencing outcome

Raihan denied all charges but was convicted by a jury in June. On 4 November, Judge Catherine Richards sentenced him to a total of 15 years in prison: 13 years for the rapes, two years consecutive for witness intimidation, and one year concurrent for the image offences.

He must serve two‑thirds of the sentence in custody before being released on licence. He will also be on the sex offenders register for life and is subject to a 20‑year restraining order preventing him from contacting his victim.

The judge told him he had exploited the girl’s vulnerabilities and shown no remorse, noting that while he could appear outwardly charming, “behind closed doors” he was capable of very different behaviour.

Police praise victim’s courage

Detective Constable Mark Wells, who led the investigation for South Wales Police, praised the bravery of the young victim:

“It is critical at this time to recognise the courage of the young victim in this investigation. My hope is that they are able to move forward from this in a positive way and gain some form of closure.”

He added that the case showed how seriously such crimes are taken, and urged other survivors of sexual abuse to come forward, stressing that reports will be treated with sensitivity and professionalism.

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Alltwen man jailed for child sex abuse offences

26-year-old Darren Rogers was sentenced to two years and two months in prison following an investigation by South Wales Police. He was also made subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) for ten years.

Snapchat upload triggered police investigation

Darren Rogers, 26, was arrested at his home in Alltwen after uploading a Category A indecent video of a child to his Snapchat account in January 2024. Officers from South Wales Police seized multiple devices, which were later found to contain further child sexual abuse material.

Following the investigation, Rogers pleaded guilty to a series of offences, including four counts of possessing indecent photographs of children and one count of possessing a prohibited image of a child. He also admitted possessing an extreme pornographic image involving an animal.

In addition to the possession charges, Rogers pleaded guilty to seven counts of engaging in sexual communication with a child. He also admitted distributing an indecent photograph of a child and causing a child to look at an image of sexual activity.

He was sentenced to two years and two months in prison and made subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) for ten years.

Police statement

Detective Constable from South Wales Police Adam Staniforth said:

“Darren Rogers was in possession of incredibly depraved material, and he knew this to be illegal.

Rogers was using Snapchat to view and share this material, and it is fortunate that this came to light before his offending escalated any further.

He was exploiting vulnerable children for his own sexual gratification, and he is now embarking on a deserved spell in prison as a result.

As a force, South Wales Police will leave no stone unturned in the protection and safeguarding of children.”

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Ystalyfera police officer admits computer misuse but denies child image charges

PC Patrick Higgins, 30, of Gwent Police, appeared at Newport Crown Court where he denied three counts of making indecent images, including some in the most serious Category A.

He admitted three separate charges of unauthorised access to police computer systems between June 2023 and August 2024.

The alleged indecent image offences date back to April 2022. They are not connected to the police computer misuse charges.

Higgins was granted conditional bail with a nightly curfew. His trial is due to begin on 19 October 2026.

The case was investigated by Gwent Police’s Counter Corruption Unit under the direction of the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC).

At an earlier hearing in July, magistrates were told Higgins is accused of making dozens of indecent images across categories A, B and C.

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Labour MSP Denies Allegation of Secret Camera in Scottish Parliament Toilets

Colin Smyth, a suspended Labour Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for South Scotland, has denied allegations that he placed a secret camera in the toilets of the Scottish parliament. Smyth, who has been charged by police, is also facing a separate charge for possession of indecent images. The ... [More info]