Former Swindon councillor in court after vile child abuse videos found on his iPhone.

A former councillor who championed faster broadband speeds and criticized police as incompetent has been spared jail despite downloading vile abuse images of children.

Damon Bower, who served as vice-chairman of Haydon Wick Parish Council last year, had a short film on his iPhone depicting a girl between eight and 10 years old being sexually assaulted. The 49-year-old possessed a small collection of indecent images on his mobile, along with fantasy stories detailing child abuse.

Despite this, a judge opted against jailing Bower after hearing that he had lost everything due to his conviction. Instead, Bower was given a community order.

Swindon Crown Court heard that police had visited Bower's north Swindon home last June following a tip-off that someone at the address had uploaded vile material online. However, no evidence was found to support this claim.

Detectives discovered a short film in the worst category, another short clip in the middle category, and six images in the lower category on Bower's mobile phone. They also found numerous fantasy stories about child abuse, although these were not subject to any charges.

"Once these were examined, the defendant was interviewed. He admitted that he knew what indecent images of children were," said prosecutor Colin Meeke.

Bower, formerly of Oakhurst but now residing in Southsea, Hampshire, pleaded guilty to three counts of making indecent images of children.

Emma Handslip, defending, stated that probation officers had assessed Bower as a low risk of reoffending. She explained that Bower had lost access to his children, his partner, and his job since his arrest, and that he had been sectioned under the Mental Health Act and attempted suicide.

"It is a man who has essentially lost everything," she said.

Imposing a three-year community order, Judge Peter Crabtree stated, "It needs to be clear, if it isn't clear, this is a course I am taking which is a direct alternative to an immediate custodial sentence."

He noted that there was a relatively small number of images recovered by the police and that probation believed Bower could be managed and rehabilitated in the community.

Bower must now participate in a sex offenders' program, complete 100 hours of unpaid work, undergo 15 days of rehabilitation, and comply with a sexual harm prevention order.

Bower served as a Haydon Wick parish councillor from 2015 to July 2018, stepping down after holding positions as vice-chairman and chairman of the planning committee.

In 2016, Bower welcomed a parish revamp of children's play areas, stating that it demonstrated the council's commitment to the community. In 2017, he supported the introduction of faster broadband speeds and criticized the police for their perceived lack of response to gang violence in Haydon Wick.

Linda Brown, parish chairman, stated, "At no point in carrying out his parish duties had Damon reason to be alone with children. Whilst he was a councillor he gave us no cause for concern."

The NSPCC welcomed the sentence. A spokesperson for the organization said, "The children in these abhorrent images and videos are victims of abuse and may have suffered greatly in order for them to be created."