RUTHIN MAN MARTIN CASORIA ESCAPES JAIL AFTER SHARING CHILD INDECENT IMAGES IN WALES

In a case that has shocked the community of Ruthin, 60-year-old Martin Casoria has been convicted of sharing an extremely disturbing indecent image of a young girl, yet he narrowly avoided imprisonment. The incident dates back to April 2016, when Casoria, residing at Haulfryn in Ruthin, used the Kik messenger system to distribute a Category A child image, which is classified as the most severe form of indecent material involving minors.

Casoria appeared before Caernarfon Crown Court to face sentencing, where the prosecution outlined the details of his offenses. Prosecutor Anna Price revealed that Casoria had admitted to possessing a small number of child abuse images, including some of the most heinous type, depicting children aged between six and twelve. These images were disclosed during a hearing in July of the previous year. Despite admitting to possession, Casoria denied actively distributing the images, claiming that he had only sent them to himself rather than to others. This particular charge was subsequently dropped, as the court found insufficient evidence to proceed with it.

Nevertheless, the court was informed that police investigations in Essex uncovered that Casoria had, in fact, sent an indecent image of a young girl to another Kik user in April 2016. During police interviews, Casoria admitted to pretending to be a 13-year-old girl and engaging in sexualized conversations with another user. However, he maintained that he did not send the image intentionally, suggesting it was sent in error. The defense argued that this was a one-time incident from three years prior and emphasized that Casoria was not actively offending at the time of sentencing.

Judge Huw Rees, presiding over the case, acknowledged the seriousness of the offenses but also considered the context of the case. He expressed hope that the community order imposed would serve as a corrective measure, potentially helping Casoria to reconsider his actions. The judge extended the community order by an additional six months and mandated that Casoria participate in six days of rehabilitation with the Probation Service.

In a related case from July 2018, Casoria, then aged 59, was also convicted of possessing indecent images of children, including some involving bondage and abuse of minors aged between six and twelve. For this offense, he received an 18-month community order, was ordered to complete 150 hours of unpaid work, and was subject to a five-year sexual harm prevention order. Additionally, Casoria was required to register as a sex offender for five years and pay costs amounting to £340. Prosecutor Matthew Curtis stated that Casoria had admitted to pretending to be a 15-year-old girl and using Kik Messenger to facilitate his activities.

Overall, the case highlights the ongoing concerns regarding online exploitation and the importance of vigilant law enforcement efforts to combat such heinous crimes, especially within local communities like Ruthin.