Paedophile's jail luck runs out

Updated 17.00 Thu Mar 15 2007

Keywords: Judge John Rogers, Derek Williams, prison, courts, Mold Crown Court

An internet paedophile who avoided prison in January because the cells were overcrowded, has been jailed for eight months.

Derek Williams, 46, was given a six-month suspended sentence earlier this year becuase Judge John Rogers QC said he must "bear in mind" a request from the Home Secretary John Reid to limit custodial sentences to the most dangerous and persistent criminals.

"He was attempting to register albeit 18 hours late" - Peter Moss

The father of two, from Blaenau Ffestiniog, north Wales, had downloaded dozens of pornographic images of children on to his computer and was later arrested because he had failed to register as a sex offender before the set deadline.

Williams appeared before the same judge at Mold Crown Court and admitted he had failed to comply with his previous sentence.

Peter Moss, defending, said his client was unable to register within the required time as he had been besieged by journalists following the judge's comments.

He said: "When he was arrested he was attempting to register, albeit 18 hours late. It is not surprising in some respects that a person in his position that weekend was not thinking as straight as he might."

Sentencing him, Judge Rogers said: "On January 25 this year, I explained to you that the purpose of the Sex Offenders Register is to protect the public so that the police have a record of where any sex offender is living.

"I warned you if you failed to do so you would inevitably face imprisonment."

Williams was sentenced to serve the six-month sentence for breaching his original suspended sentence and a further two months for failing to comply with the Sex Offenders Register.