July 2005 Child porn man sent to prison A GWENT man caught buying child pornography by the FBI was sent to prison for seven months yesterday. Former council worker Neil Jones, 24, of Llangattwg Close, Beaufort, Ebbw Vale, will also have to register as a sex offender for 10 years. Jones pleaded guilty to possessing more than 1,700 images of child pornography ranging from level one to level five (the most serious) after the FBI traced his credit card details to child pornography websites in November 2004. Newport crown court heard how police discovered thousands of images on computers at Jones’ home in Ebbw Vale. Jones was charged with 16 counts of making indecent pictures of children and one of possessing them. He studied computer science at Swansea University and has now lost his job as a computer technician for Blaenau Gwent county borough council. Images found on his computer equipment at home contained child pornography with children aged 12 and under. Jones gained access to the pornography using his credit card and he “indulged in abnormal fantasies”, said Stephen Jeary, prosecuting. Bernard Powell, defending said Jones had been a lonely boy at school and this carried on into university. Mr Powell said: “He spent most of his time alone. He foolishly took to looking at pornography and then into child pornography. He is remorseful and regretful at what he did.” Judge David Morris said: “It’s tragic to see you in the dock. You are a young, intelligent man with much ahead of you. You have an unblemished reputation and respect from members of the community and family. “But anyone who downloads images of this type plays his part in the awful serious abuse of children, such as you who liked to view for your own sexual gratification. If there were no people prepared to pay (for child porn) there may be a lesser amount of it.” He added: “You do not present a risk of contact with children, you are not a predatory paedophile and prove a low risk.”