A 36-year-old man, Steven Wolfe, from Ferndale, Rhondda, was found with disturbing images of children being abused. Despite this, he claimed to have an interest in Anime. When police visited his home in June 2022 following intelligence about indecent images being uploaded from his address, Wolfe initially stated, “I am into Anime but not child porn.” Upon investigation, a Samsung mobile phone seized from Wolfe was found to contain 12 category A indecent images, one category C image, and 10 prohibited images of children.
During a hearing at Merthyr Tydfil Crown Court, it was revealed that one of the images depicted a young child being raped while asleep, and another showed a girl in distress being assaulted by multiple men. Wolfe had also shared an image of two children aged 11 to 13 engaging in sexual activity in a What’s App group named “Hentai,” which had 727 members. Analysis of his online conversations showed a sexual interest in children.
Despite having no prior criminal record, Wolfe pleaded guilty to two counts of possessing indecent images of children, possessing prohibited images of children, and distributing an indecent image of children. During a probation interview, he was described as “devious” and showed a lack of understanding or empathy towards the impact of the abuse on the victims.
In mitigation, his lawyer stated that Wolfe was not highly functional and risked losing his job as a forklift truck driver if sentenced to custody. Judge Jeremy Jenkins, acknowledging the severity of the images found, sentenced Wolfe to 18 months in prison, suspended for 24 months. Wolfe was also ordered to undergo a 45-day rehabilitation activity, adhere to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for 10 years, observe a sex offender notification requirement for 10 years, and pay £1,000 in costs.
The judge emphasised the need for public protection through rehabilitation and monitoring, given the nature of the images discovered in Wolfe’s possession. The case serves as a stark reminder of the importance of safeguarding children and the consequences of engaging in such abhorrent activities.