A STUDENT watched “vile” films of children being sexually abused before he shared one image with a new member after joining a Snapchat group.

Paedophile Matthew Jackson, 19, was caught after Gwent Police raided his home in Gilwern, near Abergavenny, last February.

Jenny Yeo, prosecuting, said officers recovered 11 indecent images from mobile phones and a laptop.

There were five category A films, five category B pictures and one category C still image.

Mrs Yeo told Cardiff Crown Court one of the category A films showed a boy and girl aged 13 having sex which lasted 37 minutes.

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Jackson had been due to start a computer studies course at Swansea University but lost his place as a result of his conviction.

The defendant “fully co-operated” with the police and gave them usernames and passwords and admitted “he had viewed the images for sexual gratification and out of curiosity”.

He told detectives he had been added to a Snapchat group where child abuse pictures and films were being exchanged.

Mrs Yeo added: “The distribution matter in this case relates to a picture he was asked to share to a new member to test his trustfulness and this was a category B image.”

Jackson, now of Llangattock, near Crickhowell, Powys, pleaded guilty to three counts of possession of indecent images of children.

He also admitted one charge of distributing an indecent image of a child.

Steven Donoghue, representing the defendant, asked the court to take into account his client’s early guilty pleas, his young age and his lack of any previous convictions.

His barrister added: “The category A images are particularly vile and disgraceful.

“At the end of the day, someone’s child was having to do that in order to produce those images.

“It is a point that is often forgotten by viewers of these sort of things that there were actual children suffering.

“The defendant realises only two well the horror of that situation.”

Mr Donoghue said the defendant had found a job after losing his university place.

Judge David Wynn Morgan sentenced Jackson to a three-year community order.

The defendant must complete 35 sessions of the Horizon sex offender programme, complete a 30-day rehabilitation activity requirement and carry out 150 hours of unpaid work.

He was also made the subject of a five-year sexual harm prevention order.