JEREMY COLMAN DINA'S POWYS CHILD IMAGE OFFENCES SHOCK WALES
| Red Rose Database
Dinas Powys Child Sexual Abuser
In a case that has sent shockwaves through Wales, Jeremy Colman, a former high-ranking official associated with Welsh public institutions, has been sentenced to eight months in prison for possessing a disturbing collection of indecent images of children. The 62-year-old, who previously served as the auditor general for Wales, pleaded guilty to 15 separate charges related to the possession and download of these illicit images during an earlier court hearing.
Evidence presented at Cardiff Crown Court revealed that the images were found on a computer located at his office. The court was shown the distressing material, which the judge described as utterly revolting. The images included 51 classified as level four, indicating a high degree of severity. The judge, Nicholas Cooke QC, the Recorder of Cardiff, expressed his disgust, stating he felt sick viewing the images in evidence.
Colman was also ordered to register as a sex offender for a decade, reflecting the seriousness of his crimes. Despite residing in Dinas Powys, a village in the Vale of Glamorgan, Colman had been living near Peterborough in Cambridgeshire at the time of his arrest. His position as auditor general, a role overseeing over £20 billion of public funds annually, made his actions particularly damaging, causing significant embarrassment to the Welsh assembly.
Colman stepped down from his lucrative post, earning approximately £170,000 a year, in February following his arrest. He had been remanded in custody since November 1 after admitting to downloading and possessing images depicting child sexual abuse. Additionally, he confessed to failing to disclose a password that would have allowed police access to information stored on a USB stick.
The court heard that a search of Colman’s computer uncovered a large number of pornographic images, not only of children but also of adult males. Prosecutor Roger Griffiths highlighted that Colman had also searched for websites related to Turkish boys, raising further concerns about the nature of his interests.
During the investigation, Colman revealed that he had emailed a naked photograph of himself to a contact via a social networking site. Following this, he was advised to take sick leave, and an investigation was launched. IT specialists examined his devices, and within 12 days, police were involved. They discovered a total of 172 images across both his official and personal computers. In an attempt to cover his tracks, Colman destroyed the hard drives of four personal computers.
Colman faced multiple charges, including ten counts of making indecent photographs of a child and four counts of possessing such images. He also admitted to the offence of failing to disclose his computer password to authorities. Throughout the proceedings, he remained impassive in the dock as the sentence was handed down.
Judge Nicholas Cooke QC emphasized the personal and professional damage caused by Colman’s actions. He stated, “This is a personal tragedy for yourself and your wife but there can be no special treatment because of who you are. You have caused the Welsh assembly considerable embarrassment because it is a body which places the highest value on the welfare of children.” The judge also noted that Colman had taken images that could only have been produced through the abuse of children, further underscoring the gravity of his misconduct.
Evidence presented at Cardiff Crown Court revealed that the images were found on a computer located at his office. The court was shown the distressing material, which the judge described as utterly revolting. The images included 51 classified as level four, indicating a high degree of severity. The judge, Nicholas Cooke QC, the Recorder of Cardiff, expressed his disgust, stating he felt sick viewing the images in evidence.
Colman was also ordered to register as a sex offender for a decade, reflecting the seriousness of his crimes. Despite residing in Dinas Powys, a village in the Vale of Glamorgan, Colman had been living near Peterborough in Cambridgeshire at the time of his arrest. His position as auditor general, a role overseeing over £20 billion of public funds annually, made his actions particularly damaging, causing significant embarrassment to the Welsh assembly.
Colman stepped down from his lucrative post, earning approximately £170,000 a year, in February following his arrest. He had been remanded in custody since November 1 after admitting to downloading and possessing images depicting child sexual abuse. Additionally, he confessed to failing to disclose a password that would have allowed police access to information stored on a USB stick.
The court heard that a search of Colman’s computer uncovered a large number of pornographic images, not only of children but also of adult males. Prosecutor Roger Griffiths highlighted that Colman had also searched for websites related to Turkish boys, raising further concerns about the nature of his interests.
During the investigation, Colman revealed that he had emailed a naked photograph of himself to a contact via a social networking site. Following this, he was advised to take sick leave, and an investigation was launched. IT specialists examined his devices, and within 12 days, police were involved. They discovered a total of 172 images across both his official and personal computers. In an attempt to cover his tracks, Colman destroyed the hard drives of four personal computers.
Colman faced multiple charges, including ten counts of making indecent photographs of a child and four counts of possessing such images. He also admitted to the offence of failing to disclose his computer password to authorities. Throughout the proceedings, he remained impassive in the dock as the sentence was handed down.
Judge Nicholas Cooke QC emphasized the personal and professional damage caused by Colman’s actions. He stated, “This is a personal tragedy for yourself and your wife but there can be no special treatment because of who you are. You have caused the Welsh assembly considerable embarrassment because it is a body which places the highest value on the welfare of children.” The judge also noted that Colman had taken images that could only have been produced through the abuse of children, further underscoring the gravity of his misconduct.