A 73-year-old man has been dealt a custodial sentence after pleading guilty to possessing nearly 2,000 indecent images of a child, 46 of which were in the most extreme category A.

Terence Donovan was also charged with possessing 680 extreme pornographic images of a woman having sexual intercourse with a dog and an additional charge of voyeurism against a child.

Imposing sentence at Swansea Crown Court today (Friday), Judge Geraint Walters expressed his failure to understand how people like Donovan can observe young children being abused in such an extreme sexual manner.

“You viewed children being abused by adults in the most serious category,” said Judge Walters.

“Often overlooked is the fact that these are not actors, these are not computer graphics, but real children.

“I find it virtually impossible to understand how a man can view other children being treated in this way.”

The court heard that in April 2019, police officers seized a number of photo CD discs during a raid of Donovan's caravan in Tenby after being contacted by the victim.

Subsequent examinations of the discs found them to contain 46 Category A indecent images of a child, 52 Category B images, 1,205 Category C images and 680 extreme pornographic images involving an animal.

They also discovered footage of a child being filmed whilst having a shower through a peephole which the defendant had deliberately made in a wall. The offences were committed between 2002 and 2018.

Donovan pleaded guilty to all five charges.

In an impact statement read to the court, the victim claimed the way in which she had been abused by Donovan ‘broke me into pieces’.

“It’s taken me a long time to feel I’m not being watched,” she said.

“I feel a sense of relief, knowing that he’s finally admitted to these obscene acts.

“He had hundreds and thousands of images and something needs to be done to protect women and children from having to go through what I have.

“This man should not be walking the streets because I don’t want this to happen to anyone else. But nothing would stop him from doing it again.”

Donovan was sentenced to 18 months in prison.

Imposing sentence, Judge Geraint Walters said he had no alternative other than to give him an immediate custodial sentence.

“I’m not at all satisfied that you’ve shown any contrition for what you’ve done,” he said.

“All you were interested in was your day to day gratification.”