December 2018 Widower who downloaded child and extreme pornography escapes immediate jail sentence A widower who downloaded child and extreme pornography after the death of his wife from cancer was spared an immediate prison sentence. Michael Gurney, aged 49, of Hill Street, Pontnewynydd possessed 12 category A images – depicting the most serious form of child abuse – and 161 extreme pornographic images, Cardiff Crown Court heard. The latter were labelled “grossly offensive, disgusting or otherwise of an obscene character”. Prosecutor Matthew Roberts said officers from Gwent Police’s high tech crime unit raided the defendant’s Pontypool home on November 5 where they found the images stored on a computer. Gurney also had one picture each of category B and C child abuse images. He pleaded guilty to three counts of possessing indecent photographs of a child and one charge of possessing extreme pornography. The offences were committed between 2013 and 2018. Judge Jenkins jailed Gurney for 26 weeks, suspended for two years, a two-year community order and a 25-day rehabilitation and activity requirement. He was also made subject of a sexual harm prevention order for five years and must register as a sex offender for the same period of time.