Married double-glazing boss had indecent images

A MARRIED man leading a respectable life as a senior manager for a wellknown double-glazing firm spent more than a decade secretly viewing pictures and videos of young children being sexually abused.

Police found almost 500 images on a laptop and iPhone belonging to 65-year-old Colin James after executing a searching warrant at his house. Some of the images had been downloaded the day before the officers knocked on his door.

Megan Jones, prosecuting, told Swansea Crown Court that officers went to James’ house shortly before 7.30am on January 19 last year after receiving information that an indecent image had been uploaded using a Skype account connected to an IP or internet protocol address linked to the property.

The court heard that when police told the defendant why they were there he replied: “That was me, I did it.” James’ laptop computer and iPhone were seized, and a forensic examination of the devices found a total of 485 photos and videos of children as young as six being sexually abused and raped. The images had been created over a period of 13 years, with the most recent being downloaded the day before the police knocked at the defendant’s door.

Colin Michael James, of Glanymor Park Drive, Loughor, had previously pleaded guilty to three counts of making indecent images of Category A, B and C when he appeared in the dock for sentencing. He has no previous convictions.

Thomas Stanway, for James, said the defendant had voluntarily been working with a charity to address the reasons for his offending, and had a supportive wife and network around him.

With a one-third discount for his guilty pleas Recorder Carl Harrison sentenced James to 10 months in prison, suspended for two years, and he was ordered to complete a rehabilitation course and 120 hours of unpaid work. The defendant was made the subject of a 10-year sexual harm prevention order to control his access to the internet, and will be a registered sex offender for same length of time.