Shropshire Star
September 26, 2008
http://www.shropshirestar.com/2008/09/26/child-porn-vicar-starts-jail-term/
United Kingdom — A Mid Wales vicar was today beginning a three-and-a-half year jail sentence after admitting taking, making and possessing more than 56,000 indecent pictures of children.
The Reverend Richard Hart, 59, formerly of The Vicarage, Beguildy, near Knighton, was sentenced at Cardiff Crown Court yesterday.
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He admitted 12 charges of making indecent images between December 1999 to January 8, 2007; four charges of taking indecent photographs of children on his computer on January 11, 2008.
The court heard Hart had 56,832 images on his computer - 44 of the most serious category five; 1,445 category four, 684 category three; 2,419 category two and 52,240 category one.
Mr Ieuan Morris, prosecuting, said Hart had downloaded "a horde of perverted images".
He had paid online for some material using a credit card and used designated websites based in America, Denmark, Brazil, Eastern Europe and Japan.
His fascination, the court heard, was for images of pre-pubescent children, mainly girls aged four-13.
Mr Morris said, despite Hart's much-trusted position in the community, he had a voracious appetite for this type of material.
He said police raided Hart's home on January 11 after being passed his credit card details which had been used to access the illicit websites. He said police found what would be to a paedophile "an Aladdin's Cave of material".
On the family computer the images ranged from "vile, stomach-churning material to just pure smuttiness".
When interviewed, Hart said he kept some of the worst "category five" images because they were "interesting in a rather gruesome way".
His wife Julie, a teaching assistant, was cautioned for possessing category one images.
Judge Michael Burr said there had been "a gross breach of trust and he had brought his vocation into disrepute".
Hart has been a priest since 1986 but has been the priest-in-charge of the eight churches of Begulidy, Heyope, Llangunllo, Bleddfa, Llanbister, Llanbardarn Fynydd, Llanddewi and Llananno since 2001.
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