DAVID SMITH, WANTAGE TENNIS COACH, SURVIVES JAIL SENTENCE FOR CHILD RAPE IMAGE POSSESSION

In June 2021, a Wantage-based tennis coach was spared immediate jail after being found in possession of images depicting child rape. David Smith, 69, a former schoolcoach who retired at 62, appeared at Oxford Crown Court where the judge acknowledged his remorse and efforts to address his behavior by completing relevant courses.

Judge Nigel Daly handed Smith a 10-month prison sentence, suspended for 18 months, but emphasized the seriousness of his actions. Addressing a comment in Smith’s apology letter claiming his online activity did not translate into real-world harm, the judge stated, "That may be so, but the children that are depicted in these photographs and images are in the real world and when there are photographs of young children being raped by adults they are experiencing that in the real world."

He added, "And the reason why this sort of offending is frowned upon so much is because if it weren’t for people who one might call consumers, who are watching these images— in some cases, although not in your case— purchasing these images, then the children would not be abused in this way."

As part of his sentence, Smith is required to complete a sex offender rehabilitation program, adhere to a three-month curfew, and pay £425 in costs and surcharge. Prosecutor Robert Lindsey informed the court that police raided Smith’s residence in February following a tip-off about his online activity. Investigators seized an HP laptop, a black computer tower, and a Samsung Galaxy phone, discovering over 1,000 child sex abuse images, including 149 in the most serious category showing children aged five to 16 being raped.

Additionally, officers uncovered 396 extreme pornographic images involving sexual acts between humans and animals, and 43 prohibited images of children. Many of these files, which included both videos and still images, were inaccessible but present on the devices.

Smith, of Grove near Wantage, had previously worked for 12 years as the head coach at two tennis clubs, which were not named in court, after retraining at age 50 following redundancy from a sales career. He also worked with schools as a tennis coach.

He pleaded guilty at the magistrates’ court to charges including possession of indecent images, extreme pornography, and a prohibited depiction of a child. Smith had no prior criminal convictions.

He is also mandated to register as a sex offender and must adhere to a sexual harm prevention order for ten years.