A FORMER soldier who works in the movie industry has been jailed after a jury found him guilty of child sex offences with a girl he thought was just 14.

Paedophile Michael O’Mahoney, 38, was convicted following a trial of attempting to cause a child to watch a sexual act and attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child.

The offences were committed in Newport and London between November 22, 2022, and March 28 this year.

O’Mahoney had denied the charges against him.

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His barrister Peter Donnison told Cardiff Crown Court: “He does have previous convictions but none for offences such as this nature and they are of a particular age and it is some length of time since them.

“The most serious offence was of a completely different context as well and it was committed whilst he was serving in the army.

“Having been released from that previous sentence he has worked for a number of companies in different areas and in particular has been working on movie sets for Movie Guard in terms of providing security in that industry.”

The judge, Recorder John Hardy KC, told O’Mahoney: “It's wholly unnecessary for me to lecture you about these offences.

“You know what it is you've been convicted of doing by the jury whose verdicts were returned, if I may say so, with some considerable degree of promptitude.”

He jailed the defendant, of High Street, Stratford, London, for 18 months and told him he would serve half of that sentence before being released on licence.

O’Mahoney will have to register as a sex offender and was made the subject of a sexual harm prevention order for 10 years.

He will also have to pay a statutory victim surcharge following his release from custody.

The attempting to cause a child to watch a sexual act offence happened in Newport and the attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child charge occurred in London.