A man who was linked to the paedophile who sent images to former BBC newsreader Huw Edwards has been spared jail.
Jac Davies, 25, was given a sentence of 12 months, suspended for two years, after pleading guilty to possession of indecent images of children and possession of Class A drugs.
Alex Williams, who had sent images of children as young as seven to Edwards, also shared indecent images with Davies.
Davies was spared jail after his defence team argued magistrates should consider “parity” with the broadcaster’s suspended sentence, which he received in September.
Edwards, 63, admitted three charges of “making” indecent photographs after he was sent 41 illegal images by Williams over WhatsApp.
During his four decades at the BBC, Edwards led the coverage of historic events including the late Queen’s death and funeral in 2022 and most recently the coronation of the King in May 2023.
Leeds Magistrates’ Court heard on Tuesday that West Yorkshire Police attended Davies’ home after being alerted to the investigation into Williams and Edwards.
Officers found 84 indecent images, including some involving babies, on Davies’ electronic devices.
Addressing the most serious images found, known as category A images, prosecutor Michelle Kruger said: “One of them was a moving image in a bedroom location showing a baby lying on a bed.”
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Ms Kruger added that other images featured boys aged three to five.
A Telegram chat was also uncovered by officers which showed Davies going into “graphic detail” about what he would do to newborn babies.
He was also charged with possession of Class A drugs after methylamphetamine and cocaine were found, it was said.
Davies’ lawyer said a pre-sentence report described “a very difficult background with the defendant dealing with his sexuality”.
As well as the suspended jail term, Davies was ordered to attend an accredited sexual offending group work programme.
Davies was told he would be prohibited from having any unsupervised contact with any child under the age of 16, except in the presence of a parent or another appropriate adult, and will remain on the sex offenders’ register for 10 years.
