BRYNTEG TEENAGER HANIEL LONERGAN ORDERED TO REGISTER AS SEX OFFENDER AFTER CHILD ABUSE IMAGE DOWNLOADS IN WREXHAM

In November 2018, a young man from Wrexham faced serious legal consequences after admitting to possessing and creating illegal images involving child abuse. Haniel Lonergan, aged 18 and residing on Galaxy Grove in Brynteg, appeared before North East Wales Magistrates Court in Mold to answer charges related to the possession of indecent images of children.

During the court proceedings, Lonergan pleaded guilty to making a total of 64 images and videos classified as Category A, which is considered the most severe level of such material. In addition to these, he also admitted to creating 181 images in Category B, 303 images in Category C, and possessing one prohibited image of a child. The prosecutor, Rhian Jackson, highlighted the disturbing nature of the case, noting that the most serious images depicted children as young as five years old.

District Judge Roger Lowe acknowledged the gravity of the offences but stated that his legal powers were insufficient to pass a final sentence at this stage. As a result, Lonergan was granted bail and is scheduled to be sentenced at Mold Crown Court in December. The court also imposed strict conditions to prevent further harm, including a prohibition on any unsupervised contact with children under the age of 18.

Furthermore, Lonergan is required to make any device capable of connecting to the internet available for police inspection and must retain a record of its usage. These measures are intended to monitor and prevent any further illegal activity while the legal process continues. The case underscores the ongoing efforts by authorities in Wrexham and the wider region to combat the distribution and possession of child abuse images, emphasizing the serious consequences faced by those involved in such crimes.