CARL MORGAN FROM BANGOR SENTENCED FOR HORRIFIC CHILD ABUSE IMAGE COLLECTION

In September 2020, a disturbing case emerged involving a man from Bangor who was found to possess an extraordinarily extensive collection of child abuse images and videos, leading to his eventual imprisonment. The individual, identified as Carl Thomas Morgan, was convicted of possessing and distributing material that depicted some of the most heinous forms of child exploitation.

Authorities revealed that Morgan’s collection was so vast that law enforcement officials gave up attempting to count the total number of images and videos. It was estimated that his digital stash contained over 150,000 files, with a significant portion classified as the most severe category of abuse material. Out of 956 images analyzed, 337 were deemed to be in the worst category, indicating extreme and disturbing content.

The material included images of children aged from newborns to 15 years old, subjected to violent abuse and sexual assault, often in states of extreme distress. Some of the images depicted acts of necrophilia, with one showing a person engaging in sexual acts with a deceased baby, and another featuring a teenage corpse. The content also included images of animals involved in abuse, further highlighting the depravity of Morgan’s collection.

Prosecutor Rhys Rothwell explained that the analysis of Morgan’s digital files revealed a disturbing pattern of interests, including necrophilia, paedophilia, and rape. The investigation uncovered that Morgan, aged 28 and residing on Garth Road in Bangor, also had an interest in familial sexual abuse and scenarios involving children being intoxicated or drugged during abuse.

In November 2018, the case took a significant turn when social media platform Kik Messenger reported that users within a private group had shared videos depicting serious child abuse. Among these was an indecent 13-second clip uploaded by a user known as TheTitch00. Authorities traced the IP addresses associated with this account back to Morgan’s home in Cornwall and his university address in Bangor.

Following this discovery, police executed a search warrant at Morgan’s Bangor residence, seizing his phone and laptop for forensic examination. During questioning, Morgan admitted to being the user behind TheTitch00 and acknowledged uploading the abusive video. He claimed that he believed he was part of a vigilante group operating on the dark web, aiming to catch paedophiles, and that he was aware his actions were illegal. Morgan also stated that he had deleted all evidence related to this vigilante activity months prior, although forensic analysis proved otherwise.

The forensic investigation uncovered more than 150,000 images on Morgan’s devices. Of the 956 images categorized, 337 were classified as Category A, indicating the most severe level of abuse. Prosecutors highlighted some of the most disturbing content, including images of children being sexually assaulted with corpses, one involving a newborn and another depicting a 14-year-old girl covered in blood.

During a second interview, Morgan denied having any sexual interest in children. Instead, he claimed that his curiosity about the more extreme images was driven by a medical or scientific interest, and that he was intrigued by human nature’s capacity for such behavior. However, his denial did not prevent his conviction.

Morgan pleaded guilty to seven charges, including distributing an indecent image, making indecent images, possessing prohibited images, and possessing extreme images. Judge Timothy Petts sentenced him to three years in prison, emphasizing the severity of his crimes. The judge stated, “In November 2018, you shared a disgusting video of child abuse. You were traced. Your computer was examined. It was found to be riddled with horrendous videos and images of abuse, so many that the police stopped counting. Everyone who searches for, downloads, and shares such images plays their part in the abuse of children.”

In addition to his prison sentence, Morgan was subjected to a sexual harm prevention order and was ordered to register as a sex offender for life, underscoring the serious nature of his offenses and the ongoing threat posed by individuals involved in such heinous activities.