A TEENAGE paedophile who filmed himself sexually abusing a young girl after drinking and taking drugs has been locked up.

Cory Wilkes, 19, from Blaenau Gwent, also downloaded disturbing child abuse images and films and extreme animal pornography.

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Prosecutor Jason Howells told Cardiff Crown Court: “The National Crime Agency identified that an IP address in the Gwent area had been used to access indecent images of children under the age of five years via the dark web.

“Gwent Police were notified of the intelligence and on December 1, 2020, they executed a warrant issued under the Protection of Children Act 1978 at the defendant’s home address in Ebbw Vale.

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“He told an officer there would be indecent images of children on his Apple iPhone 12 and on his laptop before taking the officers to his bedroom and identifying the devices that belonged to him.”

Mr Howells said Wilkes was arrested and questioned by detectives.

He told the court: “The defendant stated that his interests were in children under the age of five and that he gained sexual gratification from looking at images and videos of boys, girls, babies and toddlers, being sexually abused.”

The prosecutor added that, after a more detailed examination of the devices seized, police found a recording Wilkes had made on his phone.

During the footage, which lasts 4 minutes and 56 seconds, he sexually assaults a girl.

Wilkes, of Llys Onnen, Ebbw Vale, pleaded guilty to the sexual assault and making an indecent image of a child.

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He also admitted possessing category A, B and C indecent films and pictures of children.

Some of the images involved the young victims being raped.

Jeffrey Jones, mitigating for Wilkes, said: “He is genuinely remorseful and feels shame and is determined not to reoffend.”

Speaking about the sex attack on the girl, Mr Jones added: “It was not a sustained act. He was disgusted the following day.

“This was his first arrest. He had no previous convictions.

“The defendant’s experience of custody over the last five weeks has been a sharp shock.”

The judge, Recorder Greg Bull QC, sent Wilkes to a young offender institution for two years for the sexual assault.

He also imposed consecutive terms of six months and three months for making an indecent image of a child and possessing indecent class A images of children.

There were consecutive terms of one month each for possessing indecent class B and class C images of children.

The total custodial sentence was therefore 33 months.

The defendant must register as a sex offender for life and was made the subject of a sexual harm prevention order for an indefinite period.

He also has to pay a £170 victim surcharge after his release from custody.