A man who searched for child abuse material online has been spared jail despite admitting to a decade of viewing indecent images
Cardiff: So, there’s this guy, Christopher Hiatt, who got into some serious trouble. He’s 33 and has been living a pretty isolated life, mostly glued to his computer. A judge called him lonely and vulnerable, which is kind of sad.
He was caught after police showed up at his door in March 2023. Turns out, he had been looking at indecent images of kids for about ten years. They found over 700 images on his devices, which is just horrifying.
Hiatt had been searching for some pretty disturbing stuff online, like “rugrat porn.” Most of the images were of kids aged 10 to 13, but some were as young as two. It’s just awful to think about.
In court, his lawyer said he was a vulnerable guy who had been dealing with autism and health issues. He had even reached out for help after getting caught, which is a step in the right direction, I guess.
Despite all this, the judge decided to suspend his six-month prison sentence for two years. He has to complete some rehabilitation programs and pay a fine. He’ll also be listed as a convicted child sex offender, which is a big deal.
It’s a tough situation all around. Hopefully, he can get the help he needs and turn his life around.
