January 2012 Child abuse download man who ‘despised children’ is jailed A Hartlepool man has been jailed indefinitely for downloading extreme images of child abuse. Gareth Francis Owen, 22, “despised children and was preoccupied by sex”, Teesside Crown Court heard. Owen pleaded guilty to 17 counts of making indecent images of children, one of possessing them and one of possessing extreme pornography. He was already serving five months for causing unnecessary suffering to his Labrador. He also admitted writing pornographic stories about Pokemon characters. Nigel Hedley, defending, said: “He is a loner. He has found difficulty all his life interacting with others of his age and older.” Owen was banned from working with children and must sign the Sex Offenders’ Register when released and be subject to a Sexual Offences Prevention Order. Recorder Jonathan Sandiford said he was “almost entirely involved in a world of bizarre sexual fantasies where he struggles to recognise what is normal and what is not”. “He mixes with similar people online,” Judge Sandiford said. January 2012 Man jailed for sex with pet dog A TWISTED man has been jailed after pleading guilty to performing sex acts on his pet dog. Gareth Francis Owen confessed to having sex with his Golden Labrador, called Andrex, between July 20 and September 20 last year. Owen, 22, from Hartlepool, was sentenced to five months in custody after confessing to the sordid act to a probation officer while waiting to be sentenced for downloading child porn. Prosecutor Lynne Dalton told Teesside Magistrates’ Court that Owen admitted interfering with a number of family pets and horses from the age of 14. She said: “The defendant revealed that he was 14 when he first had sexual contact with a friend’s dog. “There had also been indecent contact with two previous dogs owned by him as well as horses. “He also declared his sexual activity with his current pet Andrex happened when it was 14 months old.” Salina Akthar, mitigating, told the court Owen had a troubled upbringing, did not have any qualifications and had been bullied. She said: “The only reason this is before the court is because he admitted it.” Owen, who only spoke to confirm his name, age, address, and plead guilty, showed no emotion as he was sentenced to five months in jail and banned from owning or taking care of any animal for life yesterday. He remains in custody as he awaits sentencing for downloading child pornography.