Porn vicar investigation revealed
The seizure of 56,000 indecent images of children from vicar Richard Hart was one of Dyfed-Powys Police's biggest ever operations of its kind, the force said today.
The seizure of 56,000 indecent images of children from vicar Richard Hart was one of Dyfed-Powys Police's biggest ever operations of its kind, the force said today.
Police said concerns were first raised about the Powys vicar in January 2008 and within 24 hours a team of specialist officers executed a search warrant at his home address.
Detective Inspector Diane Davies, senior investigating officer, said: "This is the second biggest seizure of its kind by Dyfed-Powys Police. The images found on Hart's computer were made when he was a vicar - he had a position of trust within the communities he served."
The Church in Wales has welcomed Hart's sentence of three-and-a-half years in jail.
The church said: "We hope this sentence increases awareness of the seriousness of this crime and recognises it for what it is - child abuse. There is no place for any form of abuse in the Church in Wales."
Following Hart's arrest in January, church officials suspended him from all duties at St Michael's Church in Beguildy, St Cynllo in Llangunllo, St Mary Magdalene in Bleddfa, St David in Heyope and St Padarn's in Llanbadarn Fynydd.
Hart has also been disqualified from his position as governor of Beguildy School following his criminal conviction.
Hart was yesterday jailed for three-and-a-half years for amassing a collection of more than 56,000 indecent images of children.
He was jailed after admitting 21 offences connected with the making, taking and possessing of indecent images of children. The offences were dated between July 1991 and 2007.
Judge Michael Barr, sitting at Cardiff Crown Court yesterday, also disqualified Hart from working with children. Hart will also be subject to a 10-year sexual prevention order upon his release, which was modified to allow the trained computer programmer to perhaps seek paid work with computers.
The court heard police raided 59-year-old Hart's then home of The Vicarage in Beguildy, on January 11. Dyfed-Powys Police officers carried out the raid after Hart's credit card details, from illicit websites he accessed, were passed on to them.
Mr Ieuan Morris, prosecuting, said: "What they identified from material in the bedroom was, to a paedophile, a veritable Aladdin's Cave. Subsequent examination of the hard drive revealed an array of child pornography."
In addition to 344 printed images, 56,562 images were recovered from Hart's computer. Of these, 1,445 were deemed category four and 44 category five - the most serious and degrading classification of images.
Judge Barr heard Hart's 41-year-old wife, Julia, a teaching assistant, was interviewed following the raid. Mr Morris said Mrs Hart considered the images were nobody else's business as long as the parents of the children photographed were happy.
She was cautioned for possession of category one sexual images of children and was also disqualified from teaching or working with children for two years.
The court heard how some of the charges pertained to indecent photos Hart had taken himself several years ago of young girls attending Sunday School, but there was no evidence he had abused children in his care.
Mr John Ryan, for Hart, of Woking, said: "He asked to express his apologies to all those involved and who have suffered distress. He is hugely disappointed in himself."
