Damian Hurford

Damian Hurford, a 19-year-old resident of Cwmllynfell, was sentenced at Swansea Crown Court for possessing child sex abuse images on his mobile phone. The case came to light following intelligence received by police regarding a Dropbox account linked to Hurford that contained indecent images of children.

On 17 May 2023, officers attended Hurford's home in Heol Brynbrain, Cwmllynfell. Hurford informed them that his mobile phone was at his workplace, and upon its recovery, he provided the PIN for access. A forensic examination of the device revealed two Category A images—the most serious classification—including a video of a girl aged 12 to 14 performing a sex act on herself, as well as five Category C indecent images of children. Additionally, an inaccessible extreme pornographic image was found but not charged. One of the Category C images displayed a Snapchat username, prompting officers to examine Hurford's Snapchat account, where they discovered several borderline images in a conversation with another user, along with an image featuring the same username.

Hurford claimed to police that he had purchased the phone on Facebook Marketplace three or four weeks prior to the police visit and had not performed a factory reset. He asserted that the images must have been left on the device by the previous owner. At the time of the offences, Hurford was aged 17 or 18 and had no prior convictions.

During the sentencing hearing, prosecutor Georgia Donohue outlined the findings from the forensic examination. Defending barrister Mr Williams described Hurford as a quiet, simple, and somewhat naïve individual with a difficult background, having endured hardships in childhood that no child should experience.

Judge Huw Rees addressed Hurford directly, emphasising the gravity of the offences: 'These are not pretend children. They are actual children and they have been abused. When these children are abused and they are shown on the internet, they will always be there for bad people to look at. These children are suffering day in, day out.' The judge highlighted the ongoing harm to the victims.

Hurford pleaded guilty to two counts of making indecent images of children. He was sentenced to a 12-month community order, incorporating a 12-month mental health treatment requirement and 20 days of rehabilitation activities. Furthermore, he was required to register as a sex offender for five years. The case was reported by the South Wales Guardian, with court proceedings held at Swansea Crown Court.