Gary Stephen Mayor

Gary Stephen Mayor, a 34-year-old bar manager from Kenfig Place in Bonymaen, Swansea, was sentenced at Swansea Crown Court for possessing more than 1,500 photographs of child sexual abuse on his mobile phone. The images included horrific abuse of children as young as four or five. Evidence showed that two images were shared as attachments to messages sent to his mother and wife, though it was unclear if they were opened or the intent behind sending them. In his police interview, Mayor claimed he obtained the images from adult sites for the thrill of accessing forbidden content, denying sexual gratification.

His barrister, David Singh, noted that Mayor had lost his good name and livelihood in Swansea's Wind Street bar scene, recognising the crime's impact on victims and his need for help. Judge Paul Thomas QC rejected the 'curiosity' excuse as a common defendant ploy, asserting that Mayor had a 'deep sexual interest in the sexual abuse of children' and a paedophiliac interest. The judge described the images as evidence of children being 'horribly abused and degraded' for offenders' masturbation.

Investigated by South Wales Police, the case demonstrates how everyday individuals can engage in such offences, with Mayor's sharing adding a layer of recklessness.