A Gwynedd man who was jailed for trying to get two 13-year-old girls to send him ‘scantily clad’ photos of themselves has today been freed after an appeal.
Robert Daniel James, 31, of Uwch Y Maes, Dolgellau , met the girls on Facebook and sent them messages asking for sordid snaps.
But they refused, police were told and he was jailed for 18 months at Caernarfon Crown Court in December for two sex crimes.
James had pleaded guilty to two counts of attempting to cause or incite child pornography.
Today, at the Court of Appeal in London, two senior judges said James probably should not have been jailed and ordered his release.
Mr Justice Saunders said James had served the equivalent of an eight-month term already and cut the sentence to that level.
‘It’s fair to say the nature of the pictures he requested was not at the upper end of offences of this kind,’ he said.
‘It is also fair to say he didn’t persist in his request when the girls refused to supply them.’
The court heard James thought the girls were adults, but learned they were only 13.
Nevertheless, he continued to make requests for indecent photographs.
He set up a false online identity, claiming to be a rich American in his bid to persuade the girls.
However, they never met and he never made any attempt to get the girls to meet up with him.
The court heard James suffered from mental health difficulties and was of previous good character.
The appeal judge, sitting with Mrs Justice Thirlwall, said that a community order might have been the appropriate sentence in the first place.
But because he had already served the equivalent of an eight-month term, the sentence would instead be reduced to that level.
see-http://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/dolgellau-man-jailed-preying-13-11227392
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