Court: Flintshire man jailed for indecent images offences
Christopher Daniels, of Alyn Road, Buckley, appeared at Mold Crown Court via a video link from HMP Berwyn on Wednesday afternoon.
The 51-year-old previously admitted making indecent images of children at category A, B and C.
The charges also led to a breach of his SHPO, handed down in 2017.
Dafydd Roberts, prosecuting, told the court that after being sentenced for making indecent images in 2017, Daniels was given a six month custodial sentence and a SHPO, which prevented him from using any file shares or anonymity software.
In November 2022, North Wales Police searched Daniels' address and found indecent images, leading to his arrest.
He was later released under investigation, but searches of his devices led to a total of 324 still images being found and one moving.
A total of 147 were Cat A, 74 and the moving image were Cat B and there were 113 Cat C images.
The children depicted were both male and female ranging from the ages of four to 12.
When interviewed by police, Daniels continued to deny any knowledge of the images that were found on his devices.
The defendant had six previous convictions for 13 offences.
Myles Wilson, defending, told the court that Daniels has "unresolved personal trauma" from both childhood and adulthood.
He was described as an "anxious individual" who has become "isolated in recent years" and has been "targeted by locals" near to where he lives.
Mr Wilson also read out the conclusions of a psychiatric report on Daniels, which suggested he would benefit from "therapeutic intervention" and suggested that there was a realistic chance at rehabilitation.
Daniels was described as being "desperate to get some help".
Sentencing, Judge Rhys Rowlands said that it was "abundantly" clear that Daniels didn't intend to comply with the initial SHPO.
MOST READ:
Dad describes how joy turned to terror and panic at Liverpool victory parade
Man who had 'large kitchen knife' in public among those sentenced in court
He said that Daniels' acts were "calculated" and "depraved", and that he showed "sophistication" in the way he stored them.
Judge Rowlands added that there was "no realistic chance of rehabilitation at this time".
Daniels was sentenced to 18 months imprisonment, 12 for the Category A images and six for the breach of the SHPO.
A new SHPO has been issued, which will last 10 years from the day of sentencing.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
6 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Drug kingpin gunned down in Costa del Sol pub 'had £250k bounty placed on his head by Spanish cartel linked to English gang' as police reveal they know potential identity of double assassin
A drugs kingpin gunned down in a Costa del Sol pub had a £250,000 bounty on his head over a feud with a Spanish cartel, it has been claimed. Ross Monaghan, 43, was shot dead alongside Eddie Lyons Jnr, 46, in a planned hit on Saturday at Monaghans in Fuengirola. Both were senior figures in Glasgow's feared Lyons crime family. Police are said to know the possible identity of the gunman, but have not yet worked out who hired them. However, the suggestion that a rival gang from Spain wanted Monaghan dead is the first sign of a possible motive. Reports suggest the grudge may have been the result of an unpaid debt. A gang from England with connections to Spain had reportedly warned about the contract on his life shortly before he was gunned down. 'A firm from England with connections to Alicante had warned of a £250,000 contract on Monaghan weeks before the shooting,' a source told The Sun. 'It's not clear if that information found its way to Monaghan but he must have known something was brewing because it was related to debts. 'People are shocked at how complacent he seems to have been and there is no doubt the shooter benefited from the element of surprise that night.' The assassinations of two Lyons family kingpins prompted fears that their deadly rivals, the Daniels, were behind the hit. The two crime families have been locked in a bloody feud that has seen a series of tit-for-tat killings over more than two decades. Saturday's hit coincides with an ongoing gang war in Edinburgh and Glasgow that has seen scores of firebombings and beatings - apparently targeting the Daniels and their associate, Mark Richardson. However, Police Scotland said in a statement earlier this week that there was 'no evidence' the Spain shootings had been ordered in Scotland or were linked to the recent unrest there. And yesterday, one of Monaghan's relatives reportedly came forward to insist the Daniels were not behind the killings. Lyons Jnr's death came just weeks after his teenage daughter died from an illness, the relative revealed. Spanish police continue to hunt the gunman responsible for Saturday's shootings. After executing Lyons Jnr on the street outside, the killer ran in and cornered Monaghan before shooting him in the chest and stomach at close range. Monaghan - who is believed to have owned the pub, named Monaghans - tried to escape by running to the bathroom. But horrific CCTV shows him stumbling as he turns to face his killer, who calmly pulls the trigger four times. It comes at a time of high tension in Edinburgh and Glasgow, which have seen dozens of violent incidents linked to an ongoing gang dispute. Reports have suggested the war erupted after Richardson's associates stole a £500,000 stash of cocaine from an ambitious Dubai-based kingpin known as Ross 'Miami' McGill. The Lyons are now said to be supporting McGill in his war on Richardson and his close associate Steven 'Bonzo' Daniel. The dispute has even made its way onto social media, where one video showed a series of attacks on targets associated with Mark Richardson to the tune of Martha Reeves' and the Vandellas hit 'Nowhere to run'. Numerous reports have suggested the Costa del Sol shootings are directly linked to the ongoing unrest in Edinburgh and Glasgow. But this has been denied by police, who said there is 'no intelligence to suggest' this was the case. A Police Scotland spokesperson added: 'Police Scotland is supporting Spanish police where requested, however, at this time we have no officers deployed within Spain. 'There is currently no intelligence to suggest the deaths of these two men in Spain are linked to the recent criminal attacks in Scotland being investigated as part of Operation Portaledge. 'Any misinformation or speculation linking the events in Spain are not helpful to the ongoing investigations in either country. 'There is also nothing to suggest that the shooting in Fuengirola was planned from within Scotland.' Yesterday's intervention by the Monaghan family suggests the Daniels are wary of being blamed for Saturday's killings. Their long-lasting war with the Lyons reportedly began when Lyons associates allegedly stole a £20,000 cocaine stash belonging to them. Five years later, gunmen James McDonald and Raymond Anderson walked into Applerow Motors in Lambhill, north Glasgow - owned by David Lyons - and opened fire in retaliation. David's nephew Michael Lyons, 21, was killed, while Steven Lyons - Eddie Jnr's brother - was shot in the leg and back. Robert Pickett was left in a coma and lost a kidney. Dozens of tit for tat shootings and killings have happened in the years since. Monaghan himself was a suspect in the 2010 murder of Daniels member Kevin 'Gerbil' Carroll in the car park of a Glasgow Asda. He was charged over the shooting but the case was later dropped. In August 2017, Monaghan and Lyons Jr were cleared of being involved in a brutal street attack on three men outside the Campsie bar in Bishopbriggs, East Dunbartonshire. Monaghan later fled to Spain after being shot in the shoulder while dropping his child off at a Glasgow primary school that same year. Monaghans, the pub where Saturday's shooting happened, describes itself online as a place 'where you can relax and spend the day enjoying great home cooked meals on a sunny terrace and watch live sporting events.' It also bills itself as a 'family friendly sports bar and restaurant located in Torreblanca, Fuengirola opposite one of the area's most popular beaches.' Torreblanca is to the east of Fuengirola town centre and a stone's throw from an area called Los Boliches. Saturday murders follow the fatal shooting nearly six weeks ago of a 32-year-old British man in nearby Calahonda a 15-minute drive from the Irish bar towards Marbella. He was shot dead around 8pm on April 21 in a professional hit as he headed back to his car after finishing a football match with friends. The killers fled in a getaway car that was later torched. Police are investigating the brutal assassination as a drug-related gang shooting but have yet to make any arrests. The victim has not been named but was known to come from Liverpool. Reports at the time described the incident as the fourth shooting so far that month on the Costa del Sol, where rival gangs have increasingly used extreme violence to settle disputes and a number of international mafias are known to have a base. Four days before the Calahonda shooting a 34-year-old man was rushed to the Costa del Sol Hospital in Marbella after being shot outside a nightclub in the famous Costa del Sol resort.
Daily Mail
6 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Romance fraudster tricked girlfriend out of £15,000 saying he needed to pay for his still-living mother's funeral - but still avoids jail
A romance fraudster told his girlfriend that his mother was dead and needed money for her funeral as he swindled her out of more than £15,000. Andrew New claimed that he needed his partner's cash in order to arrange his mother's funeral, despite her remaining alive and well to this day. She also transferred him money to enable him to buy Champions League final tickets on the empty promise that he would pay her back. But the 'born again Christian', who previously found himself in the dock after scamming a woman who he met on dating website Plenty of Fish, has been spared an immediate prison sentence due to his case taking years to come to court. Liverpool Crown Court heard that New, from the Wirral area, had been in a relationship with Sarah Haslam between April and June 2022. During this time, the 36-year-old made repeated requests for her to transfer money into his bank account, as well as those of a friend and his 'Uncle Joe', for a 'variety of fabricated reasons'. Henry Riding, prosecuting, described how these included having forgotten to take his credit card while filling up his car at a petrol station and a wish to purchase tickets for Liverpool FC's 2022 Champions League final against Real Madrid in Paris. She also gave him thousands of pounds under the pretence that he needed to 'make funeral arrangements' for his own mum in spite of her being 'alive and well'. New, who now resides in a rehab facility run by Betel UK in Motherwell, Scotland, 'promised to pay her back in due course, but never did'. This led to him pocketing a total of £15,734.65 of Ms Haslam's money during a period of only two-and-a-half months. Reading a statement from the witness box, she said: 'As a result of what happened to me, I'm exhausted both mentally and emotionally. 'I've told very few people what they did to me three years ago. I say they, because I can't say their name out loud. 'This was a person I believed cared deeply for me. I now know I was manipulated by them. 'I gave this person everything I had. In return, I was controlled and coerced until they broke me. I've lost part of myself. 'I considered myself a good judge of character. I now realise I was a pawn in their game, played by a first class method actor. I still struggle to understand how I let them do this to me. 'This person's narcissism led me to believe I could never do better. 'Three years on, I still live the trauma. I felt like I had ruined my life. A day doesn't go by when I don't feel the hurt, pain and shame for not recognising what was happening to me.' While New was initially arrested in June 2022, he did not first appear in court until August last year. Having pleaded guilty during his first appearance before the crown court a fortnight later, his case did not proceed to sentence until now due to ongoing proceeding against the two other men whose bank accounts were used as part of the scam. But charges were ultimately dropped against them by the Crown Prosecution Service. New has a total of four previous convictions for four offences, including being handed a two-year community order for fraud by magistrates in 2019. This came after he stole £200 in relation to 'non-existent football tickets' from a woman who he befriended on Plenty of Fish. He also attempted to procure further funds from this victim, who he never met in person, in order to 'visit an aunt, who he described as ill'. Paul Becker, defending, told the court: 'The defendant is sorry for what he has done. He did not know, first thing today, that the victim was going to be present. Having heard her victim personal statement, he is utterly ashamed of himself. 'This is an unusual case. The delay, in some respects, helps the defendant, because he has been able to rebuild his life. 'He has moved to Scotland. He has been at a rehab centre for the last year. 'He works six days a week helping people. Because he is working, he gets free accommodation. 'He has been able to move away from this area, from obviously problematic relationships and the addiction he has had. 'He has stayed off cocaine. That was the blight of his life. He is utterly ashamed of what he has done. What he has done is disgraceful. He can only say that it was because of drugs. 'He has an unattractive record. He has done his best since he moved away to try to turn his life around. 'If the defendant goes to jail today, he spends a few months in jail, he comes out on licence and he is back to square one. 'Everybody wants Mr New to be rehabilitated, to stay off drugs, to stay away from a situation where he is essentially stealing and to be a working, productive member of society. 'My submission is that the defendant should be given a chance today.' New admitted one count of fraud by false representation. Appearing in the dock wearing a navy blue body warmer over a beige long sleeved top, he was handed a 21-month imprisonment suspended for 20 months with 180 hours of unpaid work, a rehabilitation activity requirement of up to 20 days and a 12-month condition of residence. Sentencing, Judge Gary Woodhall said: 'On many occasions you asked her to make transfers, saying that you owed others money or you were paying for items such as petrol, funeral arrangements for your mother, although she was alive and well, and football tickets. 'All of these transfers flowed on the basis that you would pay her back. You never did. You had no intention of doing so. 'It was palpable, the impact of your offending on this victim. She believed that you cared for her, but you manipulated her and left her emotionally shut down. 'She struggles to trust others. It is clear that these feelings continue. What you did has caused her very significant financial difficulties. 'She is still now, three years on, repaying monies which you took from her. That has delayed her ability to buy her own home. 'You are described as now showing insight into the consequences of your offending. 'You have accepted full responsibility. You had issues with the use of cocaine. You are now residing in a Christian rehabilitation facility. You now identify as a born again Christian. 'You work on a charitable basis six days a week, paying for your accommodation. You act as a mentor. You have expressed remorse and shame and want to apologise to your victim. 'As Mr Becker puts it, you have rebuilt your life. You have tackled, or are in the process of tackling, your addiction, which underlines all of your offending. 'The mitigation in your case all flows from one thing. That is the delay in bringing this case to resolution, a delay of around three years. It cannot be said that the delay is attributable to your actions. 'That delay means that you can show that you have committed no further offences and allows Mr Becker to identify that you have turned your life around in that three-year period. That is very significant. 'This is a case where appropriate punishment could only be achieved by an immediate custodial sentence. 'However, there is the significant issue in this case, which I am obliged to take into account. That is the fact that the offending is now three years old. 'Had you been sentenced closer in time to the commission of this offence, I have no doubt that an immediate custodial sentence would have been the only correct disposal. You are not being sentenced close in time to your offending. 'An immediate custodial sentence would mean a number of months in prison, the removal of your support network and, frankly, has the potential of unpicking the progress that has been
BBC News
19 hours ago
- BBC News
Liverpool boy, 15, held on suspicion of carrying firearm
A 15-year-old boy has been arrested after reports of someone carrying what was believed to be a firearm in their pocket in Liverpool. Members of the public contacted officers following the incident in Merthyr Grove, Childwall, at about 15:00 BST, Merseyside Police said. There was no suggestion the item was used to threaten or harm anyone, the force teenager, from Childwall, was arrested in nearby in Chelwood Avenue on suspicion of possessing a firearm without a certificate. Detectives are speaking to potential witnesses and analysing CCTV from the Insp Mike Fletcher said: "We are grateful to the members of the public who reported this incident and we have been able to make a swift arrest as a result."Officers will remain in the area conducting an extensive search as we seek to get a full understanding of what happened." Listen to the best of BBC Radio Merseyside on Sounds and follow BBC Merseyside on Facebook, X, and Instagram. You can also send story ideas via Whatsapp to 0808 100 2230.
