JAMES HEMMINGS PENARTH PAEDOPHILE WITH CHILD PORNOGRAPHY IN SCOTLAND AND WALES

In August 2017, James Hemmings, a 61-year-old resident of Penarth, was brought before Newport Crown Court to face serious charges related to the possession of indecent images of children. The case unfolded after police investigations revealed that Hemmings had been accessing and storing illicit material on his electronic devices, prompting a series of raids and subsequent legal proceedings.

On February 2 of that year, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Hemmings' home in Penarth. The police had acted on intelligence suggesting that Hemmings was involved in viewing child pornography via the internet. At the time of the raid, Hemmings was not present at his residence. The following day, he was located and arrested in Scotland on suspicion of possessing indecent images of children. During the arrest, authorities seized an iPhone from Hemmings, which was later subjected to detailed forensic analysis.

Following his arrest, Hemmings was transported to Cardiff Bay police station for questioning. During his interview, he admitted to having viewed indecent images on a website accessed through his iPad. However, initial examinations of the iPhone and iPad did not reveal any illicit material. Further investigation uncovered a Sony smartphone containing a Misconduct SD card, which was found to hold a significant collection of illegal images. Police identified a total of 14 Category A images—the most severe classification—along with eight Category B images, 224 Category C images, 232 prohibited images, and 20 images depicting extreme pornography. The collection also included several video files.

Hemmings was re-interviewed and reaffirmed that he had been using his devices to access and view indecent images of children. Prosecutor Harold Baker highlighted Hemmings' extensive criminal history, which includes 13 previous convictions for making indecent photographs of children on his home computer. Additionally, Hemmings had served a six-year prison sentence following convictions for indecent assault against two children, occurring between 1994 and 2001, and again in 2005.

At the court hearing, Hemmings, who was dressed in a grey Help for Heroes hoodie, pleaded guilty to multiple charges. These included three counts of possessing indecent images of children, one count of possessing extreme pornographic images, and one count of possessing prohibited images. The court was informed that Hemmings was already serving a nine-month community order, which he was currently breaching. Judge Thomas Crowther adjourned sentencing to allow for a pre-sentence report to be prepared. Hemmings was granted bail under strict conditions, including a ban on accessing internet-enabled devices that do not keep a permanent record of visited sites and restrictions on unsupervised contact with anyone under 16 unless unavoidable.

Overall, the case underscores the ongoing concerns about individuals with prior sexual offence convictions continuing to pose risks through the possession and distribution of illegal images, with law enforcement agencies actively pursuing such cases to protect vulnerable children and uphold justice.