A Conwy man posed as a teenage boy online while running groups which shared indecent pictures to paedophiles all over the world.
Michael Barrows, 32, of Marine Road, Pensarn, Abergele, had a number of accounts which he operated as a boy of 14.
Mold Crown Court heard that, on the Kik messaging app, he said he was a 14-year-old boy and tried to get a boy of 12 to send him a naked picture of himself.
Police acting on intelligence went to Barrows’ home and found he possessed and shared indecent images of child sex abuse .
Investigations showed he was a member of online groups which shared such images worldwide.
He was also the administrator of one such group, said prosecuting barrister Anna Price.
Jailing Barrows for four years, Judge Geraint Walters said his was a “very troubling” case which should act as a warning to young people never to put any compromising pictures of themselves on the web.
Barrows, who was described as a shy man who had never had an adult relationship, was ordered to register with the police as a sex offender for life.
An indefinite sexual harm prevention order was also made.
He admitted 10 charges involving making and possessing child porn, distributing an indecent image of the most serious category, and attempting to incite a boy of 12 to engage in sexual activity.
Judge Walters said he had not been in trouble before but had admitted very serious offences.
“I don’t know whether you realise how serious it is,” he said.
“Young people need to be alert to the fact that there are many people like the defendant who pretend to be youngsters themselves on the internet, to persuade them to put up pictures of themselves.”
Judge Walters said he had no doubt that Barrows had been a shy young boy, maybe bullied, who had difficulties forming social relationships in childhood and in adulthood.
He had failed to have any adult relationship and had committed the offences in the privacy of his own home.
The defendant would present a significant risk to young people in the future, said the judge.
His problems were deep rooted and the judge said he expected a plan would be put in place on his release for the safety of young people thereafter.
Ms Price said police found more than 3,000 indecent images, of which 536 were in category A, which is the most serious.
There were 396 films, of which 202 were in category A.
The defendant said he first saw an image on Twitter and, while he was interested in boys of 13, he had to have images of boys considerably younger in order to exchange with others.
An examination of his two mobile phones showed images of children, mainly boys, from the age of two months to 14 years.
Five movies recovered involved sexual abuse of infants and toddlers.
Kim Halsall, defending, said his client had already received counselling and had an appointment with a mental health nurse.
“He clearly needs intervention and help over the difficulties that have brought him here,” she said.
After the sentencing, DC Morgan Thomas said: “This should act as a caution to people who download indecent images of children that North Wales Police are actively monitoring them.
“This is not a victimless crime. It has to be remembered that every image is that of a child being abused, and every acquisition of them via the internet simply encourages their continued existence and supply.”
see-http://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/pensarn-man-posed-14-year-11930709
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