A man from Caerphilly has been jailed for sharing child abuse material with fellow paedophiles and possessing "sadistic" images of babies and young children being abused.

David Owen, 41, was part of an online chat group where he distributed a category A indecent video showing a five-year-old being sexually assaulted. Category A images are considered the most severe form of child abuse.

Owen had also been discussing the sexual abuse of children with other members of the group. When police raided his home, they discovered nearly 100 indecent images on his iPhone.

Prosecutor Alexander Greenwood told Cardiff Crown Court that the images included 31 category A, 24 category B, and 39 category C images, with the victims ranging in age from six months to 10 years old.

Owen pleaded guilty to distributing an indecent image of a child, possessing a prohibited image of a child, and three counts of possessing an indecent image of a child. He also admitted to possessing bestiality images of adults having sex with animals and an extreme pornographic image.

The offenses took place between November 11, 2022, and December 20, 2022. Owen, who had no previous convictions, was sentenced to two years and two months in prison.

Judge Carl Harrison said, "You had sadistic material which showed the victims suffering, some of them as young as six months old. Your offending is further aggravated by the fact that you were part of an active network."

Owen was also ordered to register as a sex offender for 10 years and will be subject to a sexual harm prevention order for 10 years. He was also ordered to pay a £228 victim surcharge.