A 61-year-old man from Abertillery was discovered to possess a large collection of indecent images of children following a police search of his former residence in Kidwelly, Carmarthenshire. Vincent Ernest Barbary admitted to making and possessing these images, which included 110 in the most serious Category A, 102 in Category B, and 848 in Category C, all created between September 1, 2016, and December 15, 2016.
The case came to light on December 14, 2016, when officers from Dyfed-Powys Police executed a search warrant at Barbary's home on Water Street, Kidwelly. Upon arrival, Barbary reportedly told the officers, 'I may as well be honest, there is no point arresting anyone else.' Police seized several electronic devices, including a laptop, tablet, external hard drive, and memory card, which were subsequently analysed by crime investigators. The examination revealed a total of 1,060 indecent images of children on these devices.
During his police interview, Barbary confessed to viewing, downloading, and uploading images of children, stating, 'You’re correct, I have been viewing, downloading and uploading images of children.' He admitted that the activity provided him with sexual gratification and occurred a couple of times a week. When questioned about the duration, he replied, 'I could not honestly say how long, but it has been a while.' Barbary also acknowledged possessing 60 extreme pornographic images depicting explicit sex acts with animals, including dogs and horses, claiming he was unaware that such material was illegal. He further noted having a 'problem with porn in general' and mentioned seeking counselling.
Besides the child images, the extreme pornography charges added to the severity of the offences. Barbary, who has no previous convictions, pleaded guilty to all charges at Llanelli Magistrates' Court on June 30, 2017. His defence representative, John Alchurch, highlighted that Barbary had already begun private counselling and emphasised the early guilty plea to the serious matters. Magistrates declined jurisdiction due to the gravity of the case, remitting it to Swansea Crown Court.
Barbary, now residing on High Street in Abertillery, was granted conditional bail and scheduled to appear at Swansea Crown Court on July 24, 2017, at 10am for sentencing. The case was reported by WalesOnline, drawing attention to the ongoing efforts by Dyfed-Powys Police to combat child sexual exploitation through targeted operations and device seizures.