A Mold man who worked with children tried to frame another man for child porn images found on a computer.
Christopher Saunders produced letters and a text message which he told police were from the other man trying to frame him for the crime.
But Saunders elaborate plot was rumbled when detectives found fingerprints on the underside of the sticky tape on one of the letters was his.
And the text messages had been sent from a mobile phone in the same area that Saunders lived, not from the area where he said the other man was from.
Saunders, 29, now of Rowley Regis in the West Midlands, admitted 12 offences of making indecent images of children by downloading them off the internet, possessing a total of 838 images back in 2013, and then perverting the course of justice.
Prosecutor David Mainstone told how at the time Saunders was employed at the Kingswood outward bound centre at Colomendy near Mold.
A co-worker asked to loan his hard drive to watch a film but found the naked images of children.
Management were informed, and the defendant was interviewed but said that the hard drive belonged to another man who had done some work for a nudist site.
He was suspended and later dismissed and the police were informed.
Saunders said that the hard drive belonged to another man who he named but said he did not know where he was.
Police carried out an investigation, located that man in Somerset where he was arrested and interviewed.
That man told how he had nothing to do with it.
Anna Pope, defending, said that it was accepted that the defendant was in an extremely serious position.
He had dug himself a hole which became deeper and deeper as the proceedings continued.
The most serious offence was perverting the course of justice where an innocent man was arrested as a result of the defendant’s actions.
Mr Recorder Timothy Petts said that the defendant had caused a completely innocent man considerable distress and problems.
He had manufactured the evidence to try and get the other man into rouble and to try and exculpate himself, which had wasted police resources.
A message had to be sent out that people who tried to blame other people for their own offending could only be dealt with by an immediate custodial sentence, he said.
Saunders was jailed for a total of 66 weeks, he was placed on the sex offender register for seven years and an indefinite sexual harm prevention order was made.
Investigating officer DC Richard Burbridge said: “This was a long protracted investigation to pursue a person who tried to implicate innocent people in his unhealthy interest in children.
"I hope this sentence will go some way to ensure that justice was served and that is sends a message that North Wales Police will not tolerate such activity."
A spokesman for Kingswood, which runs Colomendy, said: "We were made aware that indecent images had been found on the hard drive of a personal computer in our staff accommodation.
The allegation was immediately reported to the police and the individual in question – who was still in his probationary period – was suspended, and later dismissed.
"All employees are subject to rigorous background checks prior to employment and, in this case, his record was clear.
"There is no suggestion that any illegal activity occurred on our site."
see-http://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/mold-perverts-plot-frame-man-10758578
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