A former BBC producer has been spared an immediate prison sentence after being convicted of downloading more than 6,000 indecent images of children. Dylan Dawes, 50, was found guilty in April of three counts of possessing an indecent image of a child and three counts of making an indecent image of a child, relating to the images discovered on his devices.
Dawes, who began working for the BBC in 2000, claimed he had no sexual interest in children and suggested that someone else may have accessed his devices, which were sometimes left overnight at the BBC's Cardiff headquarters. However, Judge Egan told Newport Crown Court that Dawes had sought to blame 'anyone and everyone' who had access to the former BBC offices in Llandaff, casting suspicion over many former colleagues.
The court heard that Dawes was arrested in 2022 after police searched his home in Cardiff and found indecent images on four devices, including a hard drive, laptop and two iPads. He worked with presenters such as Jason Mohammad and Rhod Gilbert. Dawes admitted to viewing 'adult pornography' but denied downloading child abuse images or using the search term 'jailbait.'
Sentencing Dawes to 18 months' imprisonment, suspended for two years, Judge Egan said: 'You have paid and you will continue to pay a heavy price for what you did. The public humiliation has been, and will continue to be, significant.' Dawes was also placed on the sex offenders' register for ten years.
Dawes, of Canton, Cardiff, was suspended from his job after his arrest and is no longer employed by the BBC. His defence counsel, Andrew Taylor, said Dawes did not 'shy away' from the court's findings and would 'try his level best to rehabilitate.'
