ALUN FEATHER FROM MONMOUTH SENTENCED FOR CHILD PORNOGRAPHY OFFENCES IN CARDIFF

In July 2003, a man named Alun Feather from Monmouth was sentenced to 18 months in prison after being found guilty of child pornography offences. The case unfolded amidst a complex investigation that involved both international and local law enforcement agencies, highlighting the serious nature of the crimes committed.

Feather, a 40-year-old widower, faced a series of devastating personal tragedies prior to his arrest. His wife, who had suffered the heartbreak of losing two children to stillbirths, tragically passed away from a heart attack last summer. During this tumultuous period, Feather was under investigation for downloading illicit material onto his computer, which added a layer of personal distress to his legal troubles. The court heard that Feather had endured what was described as “hell and back,” emphasizing the emotional toll of his circumstances.

The investigation was initiated when the FBI in Washington uncovered Feather’s credit card details linked to suspicious online activity. Their findings led to contact with Gwent Police, who then took action. Feather’s residence on Carbonne Close in Monmouth was raided in March, with authorities seizing a significant amount of computer equipment. The evidence collected included numerous images and videos depicting child abuse, some of which were classified as highly serious.

Feather admitted to possessing indecent images of children but claimed he was uncertain about the content or the volume of material he had obtained. He suggested that the images had been acquired accidentally or received unsolicited from other individuals. Despite his claims, the police found that he had actively searched for such material online, using specific keywords that resulted in over 2,400 “hits” on indecent content. Furthermore, he had established a system to facilitate the exchange of illicit images with others, indicating a deliberate engagement with the material.

Prior to his sentencing, Feather had been convicted by South East Gwent magistrates of 16 counts related to making indecent images. He pleaded guilty to these charges and asked that 1,379 similar offences be considered during sentencing. Prosecutor Roger Griffiths detailed the timeline of the offences, which spanned from October 1999 to March of the current year.

Feather’s legal representative, Peter Harding Roberts, acknowledged his client’s remorse, stating, “He accepts what he has done. For the last nine months he’s been to hell and back. Sometimes he feels he is still there. There was no personal gain, no direct exploitation. He is a broken man and his life is in ruins.”

Judge Christopher Llewellyn Jones sentenced Feather to 18 months in prison and extended his license period by an additional two years upon release. The judge highlighted the severity of the case, citing the large quantity of images and videos, some of which depicted children being subjected to serious abuse, as aggravating factors in the sentencing decision.