Suspended sentence for child sex offence ex-mayor

A former mayor has been given a suspended jail sentence for possessing and distributing indecent images of children.

Terry Judkins, 55, was sentenced at Swansea Crown Court after he admitted the charges.

Judkins, of Bush Street, Pembroke Dock, Pembrokeshire, pleaded guilty to two offences involving Category C images and possessing a prohibited image of a child between September 2018 and August 2021.

The former Pembroke Dock Town Council mayor also admitted making and distributing Category A - the most serious - images of children.

The court heard that 11 unique images had been duplicated a number of times on two digital devices and that 10 of the images were of a 17-year-old known to Judkins.

David Maunder, defending, told the court that most of the imagery involving the 17-year-old was "enthusiastically consensual".

It is a criminal offence to share indecent images of any individual under the age of 18.

The other image was one of teenage boys aged between 10 and 13 years.

Mr Maunder told the court that it was "not dealing with evidence of someone who is a committed paedophile" but he had "dipped his toe into this kind of behaviour, which he deeply regrets now".

He said that the defendant was of "positive good character" and he had suffered "shame and embarrassment" as a result of the offences.

Judge Catherine Richards told Judkins that his case stood in "contrast with the positive reputation you gained".

She said there "was no evidence" there were large amounts of material relating to young boys, other than the Category A images of the 10-13 year old boys.

Judge Richards said Judkins had distributed two images of a 17-year-old and that the law was "in place to protect young people.”

She sentenced him to 12 months imprisonment, suspended for two years for distributing indecent images.

He was given a further six-month sentence, suspended for the same period, for making indecent images.

Both digital devices used by Judkins – a computer and a mobile phone – will be subject to forfeiture and destruction orders.

He will also have to attend a programme for people with convictions for downloading indecent images of children and will be on the sex offenders register for 10 years.

Judkins will return to court at a later date to hear whether he will be subject to a sexual harm prevention order.