A “SWINGER” is facing years behind bars after he was found guilty of sharing and having vile child abuse films on his phone.

Paedophile Andrew Allan, 41, from Tredegar was convicted by a jury following a trial at Newport Crown Court of five counts.

There was one count of distributing an indecent photograph of a child – a category A image which is the most serious kind – and four counts of possession of an indecent photograph of a child.

The possession charges were made up of 126 category A pictures and films, 49 at category B and 40 at category C.

The offences were committed between 2019 and 2022.

Allan had denied the allegations and claimed that his phone had been hacked.

It took the jury just 20 minutes to bring back unanimous guilty verdicts.

Tabitha Walker, prosecuting, said the defendant was caught after he was unwittingly exchanging messages online with an undercover police officer.

Jurors were told that Allan was a former military man who had been dismissed from the armed forces after he was convicted of a similar previous conviction.

The trial heard that the defendant had been a member of the “swinging scene” in his native hometown of Cheltenham.

He had moved to Gainsborough Road, Tredegar before later going to live in Waterloo Place, Machen, Caerphilly.

Judge Daniel Williams adjourned sentence to December 6.

He told Allan: “I can't sentence you without the assistance of the probation service who will prepare a report upon you which will assist in two respects.

“Firstly, it will go towards how long the prison sentence which you face will be and also in making an assessment of dangerousness.

“Between now and then, you're remanded in custody.”

After Allan was taken to the cells, Judge Williams thanked the jury for their public service and told them: “These images are disturbing even if you simply hear about them.

“There was a time, about 10 years ago, when judges who sentence these people had to view the images themselves.

“I did it once and never did it again. They're unbelievable and so, sensibly, the powers that be have since said there is no need for a judge to do that.”