Jason William Hannah

A convicted sex offender from Flint, North Wales, has been returned to prison after resuming his illegal activities involving child abuse material. Jason William Hannah, aged 32, appeared at Mold Crown Court where he was sentenced to two years' imprisonment for six counts of sharing indecent images of children, breaching his existing Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

Hannah's criminal history dates back to 2015 when he was first jailed for 10 months after police discovered over 1,600 indecent images of children on his computer while he resided in the Connah's Quay area. Following his release, he was subject to restrictions prohibiting access to certain parts of the internet, including file-sharing platforms like Kik. Despite this, in June 2021, Hannah created a Kik account and joined a 'nothing off limits' chatroom where he exchanged illegal images and videos depicting the sexual abuse of children for what he claimed was 'normal' pornography.

• Prosecutor Michael Whitty informed the court that authorities were alerted by Kik after detecting a user sharing child abuse material.
• An investigation identified Hannah as the perpetrator, leading to his arrest in October 2021 during a police search of his home.
• Officers seized his iPhone, on which Hannah made full admissions, confessing to sharing seven files—all categorised as the most serious type—over a one-week period.

In his defence, Robin Boug argued that Hannah's involvement was limited to a short time and involved only one other person. Boug noted that a pre-sentence report highlighted Hannah's denial of any sexual interest in children, though he has since acknowledged struggling with an attraction he cannot ignore. Hannah attributed his actions to a 'bad period' in his marriage, stating he knew creating the account would 'get him into trouble' but proceeded anyway.

Judge Rhys Rowlands condemned Hannah's actions as a 'calculated and quite deliberate attempt to bypass the order' driven by an 'obsessive and worrying need' for such material. The judge remarked, 'Plainly, you have learnt nothing from your previous time in prison,' and added, 'There is no realistic prospect of rehabilitation with you at present' due to his non-compliance. The court heard that the images were 'very disturbing,' reinforcing the severity of the offences.

This case was reported by North Wales Live on 7 April 2022, based on proceedings at Mold Crown Court. North Wales Police conducted the investigation, highlighting ongoing efforts to monitor and prosecute breaches of sexual harm prevention orders in the region.