Paedophile caught with 15,000 indecent images jailed

Ross Hughes obtained 15,000 indecent images of children over a period of 16 years

A man who spent more than a decade building up a collection of 15,000 indecent images of children has been jailed.

Ross Hughes, 38, from Ebbw Vale, Blaenau Gwent, was sentenced to two and a half years in prison at Merthyr Tydfil Crown Court on Wednesday, as well as a 10-year sexual harm prevention order.

An examination of Hughes' devices found he had collected 15,155 indecent images of children over a 16-year period, ranging across all three categories of severity.

He had previously pleaded guilty to three counts of distributing indecent images of children and three counts of making indecent images of children.

DCI Matthew Edwards said accessing, downloading and distributing indecent images of children "is not a victimless crime".

"Perpetrators often don't think of the impact that these images have on children once published or the abuse that takes place behind the scenes."