Shamed MasterChef quarter-finalist is jailed for three years
Shamed MasterChef quarter-finalist who tried to blackmail police as they arrested him over child sex abuse images is jailed for three years
- Caerwyn Ash, 41, appeared as a contestant on the BBC cookery show in 2016
- He has been jailed for three years after being convicted of sex abuse crimes
A shamed MasterChef quarter-finalist who tried to blackmail police as they arrested him over child sex abuse images has been jailed for three years.
Caerwyn Ash, 41, who appeared as a contestant on the BBC show in 2016, was arrested in April 2019 after being accused of possessing indecent images.
He claimed to have ‘explicit’ videos of police officers and threatened to release them unless his case was dropped, according to WalesOnline.
The university academic has now been jailed for three years after being convicted of two counts of possessing indecent images of children, two counts of possessing extreme pornography, and attempting to pervert the course of public justice.
He was also reportedly handed a sexual harm prevention order banning him from living with children under 16 without social services permission and limiting his internet use.
MasterChef quarter-finalist Caerwyn Ash (pictured), 41, who tried to blackmail police as they arrested him over child sex abuse images has been jailed for three years
Ash, who appeared as a contestant on the BBC cookery show in 2016 (pictured), was arrested after being accused of possessing abuse images
Ash, of St Thomas, Swansea, was charged in August 2022 and had his first hearing at Swansea Magistrates Court in September 2021.
According to WalesOnline, the day before the first hearing Ash walked into Swansea Central Police station and gave them a document in which he said he would distribute sexually explicit material involving South Wales Police to the media unless proceedings against him were stopped.
Prosecutor James Wilson said child abuse images and bestiality videos were found on a hard drive and computer tower from a garden office.
Ash reportedly denied nine charges of possessing indecent images, prohibited images, and extreme pornography, and one of attempting to pervert the court of public justice.
Mr Wilson said 20 images and five videos of child abuse and 50 images and 35 videos involving bestiality were found on a hard drive.
Officers are said to have also found a computer tower containing 30 images of child abuse and one video, as well as 28 images involving animals and five videos.
According to WalesOnline, Ash represented himself and told Newport Crown Court he had appeared as a ‘celebrity chef’ after appearing on MasterChef for charity events.
He said he had cooked Christmas dinners for homeless people and suffered from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder but maintained he was not responsible for the images.
Ash, of St Thomas, Swansea, was charged in August 2022 and had his first hearing at Swansea Magistrates Court in September 2021
Judge Wayne Beard reportedly told him: ‘You have not accepted the jury’s verdict and in light of that there is no prospect of any rehabilitation taking place by means of the probation service.
‘You created a document which in effect said would result in the release of videos of police officers if the court case was not stopped.
‘I’ve no doubt your intent was to bring the other charges that you faced to an end.
‘I consider the seriousness includes the nature of the conduct in which you were engage; making threats towards police officers involved in aspects of their private lives – whether true or not.
‘You indicated you had already provided members of the press with videos of those police officers. This was a deliberate, manipulative and cynical attempt.
‘However it was an attempt that was very unlikely ever to succeed in any way, shape or form.’
Ash was acquitted to two further counts of making indecent images of children, and possessing prohibited images of children.
Source: Read Full Article