A POWYS teenager has escaped a jail sentence after he admitted possessing Japanese-style animated pornography that depicted children.

Zedekiah Mills-Price, 18, but who was 16 and 17 when the offences occurred between June 18, 2020, and March 10, 2021, was told by Llandrindod Wells Magistrates’ Court at his sentencing hearing this week that he could have faced prison had he been 18 at the time.

The charges mainly related to Mills-Price downloading Hentai – Japanese anime and manga pornography – images from games he had played.

Mills-Price, of Badgers Green, Crossgates, had previously admitted all charges against him. Charge one related to making an indecent image of a child under 18, said to be a video of a category A nature, the most serious charge of its type.

Charge two included making three Category B images of a child, charge three related to making two Category C images of a child and charge four says that he was in possession of 170 prohibited images of a child.

Prosecutor Stephen Davies told magistrates in Llandrindod on Wednesday, July 6, that police officers attended Mills-Price’s home address in March 2021 as the downloaded images were linked to his email address.

“Education was the first thought as means of dealing with it, but items were found and devices were seized, including an Acer laptop and android phone. Category A, B and C images were found, there were 197 prohibited images in total," he said.

“The Category A image was a video of a girl, aged 16. There were also animated images. The defendant was interviewed and initially said he wasn’t sure what was on the computer. He said he had downloaded Hentai images from games.

Monster images

“Games on one of the devices included Hentai, including still images that may have included male, female or monster images. He said that only he had access.”

Mr Davies said the defendant had no previous convictions.

Owain Jones, representing Mills-Price, said that curiosity had “got the better” of his client.

“The defendant is 18 now but on the dates of the commission of these offences he was under 18," he said.

“In terms of the Hentai images, curiosity got the better of him. He has autism spectrum disorder, so perhaps does not process information like the rest of us; he did not appreciate that Hentai images are illegal and that the other images were illegal.

“It has been a difficult realisation to come to terms with.”

Chair of the bench, Kathryn Silk, told Mills-Price: “Had you been 18 you would be looking at a custodial sentence. Due to your youth, guilty plea and cooperation, we are able to keep your sentence in the community bracket.”

Magistrates sentenced him to a 2-year community order; with 35 sessions on a specified programme, 20 rehabilitation days, and 100 hours’ unpaid work.

He must also pay £85 costs and a £95 surcharge, while the equipment seized by police will be destroyed.

Because he was 17 at the time of the offences, Mills-Price is not required to be placed on the sex offender’s register.