Abdul-Majid Rahman

A former Newport city councillor has been sentenced to nearly four years in prison after being found in possession of more than 100 indecent images of children. Abdul-Majid Rahman, who served as a Labour representative for the Victoria ward from 2012 until his resignation in October 2021, appeared at Newport Crown Court on 31 May 2022.

Rahman, aged 34 and residing at Marine Terrace in Porthcawl, pleaded guilty to several serious charges. These included distributing 12 category A indecent photographs of children between November 2020 and May 2021, as well as sharing one category B indecent image on 1 March 2021. He was also charged with possessing 30 category A indecent images and five category B images between 2005 and 2021, alongside 67 category C indecent photographs from 2009 to 2021. The images were discovered at an address on Corporation Road in Newport.

The court heard that Rahman had been involved in these activities over an extended period, with the most severe category A images involving the most explicit content. Following his sentencing to three years and eight months' imprisonment, Rahman will be required to register as a sex offender for life. Additionally, a sexual harm prevention order was imposed for 10 years to restrict his future behaviour and protect the public.

Prior to his resignation from Newport City Council, Rahman had been a councillor for nearly a decade. A council spokesperson at the time stated that he 'resigned for personal reasons on Wednesday 13 October with immediate effect', providing no further details. A by-election was subsequently held in December 2021 to fill the vacancy in the Victoria ward.

This case was investigated by Gwent Police, who confirmed the details in their statements. The sentencing reflects the severity of child sexual exploitation offences, with the judge emphasising the harm caused to victims depicted in the images.