FORMER Assembly Member, Simon Thomas, was handed a suspended prison sentence this afternoon (Oct 31) after pleading guilty to three counts of making indecent images of children.
Appearing at Aberystwyth Magistrates’ Court, the former Plaid Cymru AM admitted making hundreds of indecent images of children.
He was found with more than 600 images and video of children.
94 images and 56 videos were in the most serious category A, with 87 and 16 in category B, and 354 and five in category C.
The judge said that there was no evidence he produced or distributing the material, only possessing them.
Defending the former AM, Richard Williams said that since his arrest, Thomas’ family had been strained and he was ‘anxious’ to address his issues.
Following his guilty pleas, he was handed a 26-week prison sentence, suspended for two years, and he must also sign the sex offenders register for the next seven years.
An NSPCC spokesperson said after the sentencing: “Within these images are young victims of abuse and by possessing them, Thomas has fuelled the demand in this awful trade. It is not a victimless crime.
“His actions betrayed the trust placed in him by the communities he represented at Cardiff Bay and Westminster and it’s now extremely important that he receives appropriate rehabilitation as part of his sentence.
“Ridding images like these from the internet must be a priority for tech companies, government and law enforcement.”
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