JAMES MORAN FROM PRESTATYN ESCAPES JAIL AFTER REPEATED CHILD ABUSE IMAGE OFFENSES

In November 2018, James Moran, a resident of Ceg y Ffordd in Prestatyn, was found to be in possession of an astonishing and disturbing collection of over 300,000 child abuse images and videos stored on his computer. The sheer volume of material was so extensive that authorities were unable to categorize all of it. Moran claimed that he had purchased the hard drive at a car boot sale, but investigations revealed that many of the images predated his claimed purchase date. The illicit files included material depicting children aged from as young as six months up to 17 years old, stored in hidden folders with names such as "more work."

Further probing uncovered that Moran had used specialized software to conduct internet searches for highly disturbing terms like "jail bait gallery," indicating a deliberate intent to seek out such material. The police found that Moran had created a total of 18,186 images and 99 videos, with 220 of these classified as Category A, the most serious level of child exploitation content. Despite the gravity of these findings, Moran initially denied responsibility but later, when alone, admitted that the files were on his laptop and volunteered it to authorities, stating, “it is all on there.”

His actions and possession of such material led to a court appearance at Mold Crown Court, where the judge, Niclas Parry, acknowledged the severity of the offense but ultimately decided to impose a relatively lenient sentence, believing Moran could be rehabilitated. The defense argued that a prison sentence would jeopardize Moran’s employment, which was a significant factor in the court’s decision.

Prosecutor Ryan Rothwell highlighted that Moran had made 18,186 images and 99 movies, with 220 of the videos being of the most serious Category A type. An additional 293,800 images and videos were discovered but could not be categorized due to their vast number. The court was told that Moran’s thinking appeared to be seriously distorted, but he had voluntarily begun addressing these issues.

Judge Parry expressed concern over Moran’s initial denial and the disturbing nature of his collection but noted that Moran had kept all appointments, completed unpaid work, and shown signs of rehabilitation. As a result, he sentenced Moran to 14 months in prison, suspended for two years, along with a requirement to complete 200 hours of community service and a 60-day rehabilitation program. The judge emphasized that the sentence was made more onerous due to the breach of the sexual harm prevention order, which Moran had violated by not disclosing the laptop and downloading more indecent material just weeks after his initial conviction.

In a related incident, in November 2020, Moran, then 55 years old, was again in the spotlight for breaching his sexual harm prevention order. The court heard that Moran had failed to inform authorities about a laptop he owned, which he had not disclosed during a meeting with his probation officer. This breach was uncovered when Moran mentioned owning a computer during the meeting, shortly after he had been given a two-year suspended sentence for his previous offenses.

When police seized the laptop in March of the following year, they discovered it contained three indecent images and 23 movies classified as Category A. Moran claimed he was unaware that he was required to inform the police about the laptop or that using it would constitute a breach of his order. However, police investigations revealed inconsistencies in his account. Moran’s father was interviewed, and he provided a different version, stating that he had returned the laptop to Moran around Christmas 2018, which indicated that Moran was responsible for the subsequent downloads.

Further police inquiries, including Moran’s use of the laptop to check into a hotel and connect to Wi-Fi, led to the attribution of the device to him. Moran refused to comment during police interviews, but subsequent investigations confirmed his involvement. Moran pleaded guilty to three charges of making indecent images and one charge of breaching his sexual harm prevention order.

During the sentencing hearing, Judge Niclas Parry expressed his disbelief at Moran’s attitude, noting how he appeared pleased with himself after receiving a two-year suspended sentence, only to reoffend within a few weeks. The judge described some of the images as horrific and emphasized the importance of community protection. Despite the breach, the judge acknowledged Moran’s efforts to comply with court orders and his participation in unpaid work, which contributed to his decision to suspend the sentence again, this time for two years, with additional requirements including 200 hours of unpaid work and a 20-day rehabilitation program. The judge stressed that the breach warranted a more stringent sentence but believed that Moran’s potential for rehabilitation remained, given his recent compliance and efforts to address his offending behavior.