Paedophile caught with ‘hundreds of thousands’ of images is jailed

A man from Caernarfon, who was caught in possession of hundreds of thousands of indecent images, has been jailed for more than three years.

In June 2023, North Wales Police were alerted to an indecent image that had been uploaded to a social media platform. Subsequent investigations led to the arrest of 68-year-old Paul Roberts, from the Bontnewydd area of Caernarfon.

When Roberts’ digital devices were analysed, they revealed he had stored almost four hundred thousand indecent and extreme pornographic images, many including the sexual abuse of children.

‘Possession of a ‘Paedophile manual’

He was subsequently charged with several offences including making indecent photographs / pseudo-photographs of a child, and, in a first for North Wales Police, Possession of a ‘Paedophile manual’.

Roberts pleaded guilty to the charges, and on Friday at Caernarfon Crown Court, he was sentenced to the maximum term of 3 years 6 months. He was also made the subject of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

Speaking after sentencing, investigating officer PC Amit Patel of the Online Child Abuse Investigation Team (OCAIT) said: “This was a particularly troubling case, and the sheer volume of indecent images that Roberts had stored was incomprehensible.

“Perpetrators of this type of crime often believe they will go unnoticed, however this case serves as a warning that we will relentlessly pursue anyone who engages in such heinous behaviour.”