A Haverfordwest Sex Offender Jason Birch was discovered in possession of “stomach churning” images and videos depicting sexual acts involving horses and dogs on his phone during a police visit to his farm. A court has been informed that while certain persons in the photos “exhibit comparable personal characteristics” to the 39-year-old defendant, and one of the dogs captured on video resembles his dog, the prosecution is not predicated on the assertion that he is the male portrayed.
David Singh, for the prosecution, said Swansea Crown Court that in October 2021, law enforcement obtained a search warrant at Jason Birch’s farm located near Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire, over unrelated issues. A quantity of Samsung phones was confiscated, and upon inspection, they were discovered to contain 137 images and videos of purported “extreme pornography” depicting “sexual acts between adults and animals.” The prosecutor stated that the images depicted a man engaging in anal penetration of a dog with his penis and a horse “mounting” a human, placing its penis into the man’s anus. The court acknowledged that although the individual in certain photos “exhibits comparable personal traits” to the defendant, the prosecution was not initiated on the premise that Birch is the person portrayed.
The court was informed that during his initial questioning, the defendant refuted any wrongdoing and asserted that he had been “framed.” During his second interview in November 2022, following a complete phone download, he refuted being the male portrayed in the photographs but acknowledged that one of the dogs in the images resembled his own.
Jason Birch, 39, formerly of Little Dumpledale Farm, Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire, now without a permanent residence, had previously admitted guilt to possession of extreme pornography before his sentence hearing. He possesses no prior convictions. The court acknowledged that Birch accepted “full responsibility” for the offence, and in a prior hearing, no evidence was presented against his partner, Rachel Brown, who had been initially accused in connection with the same offence. A formal not guilty finding has been rendered for Miss Brown, who was aware of and engaged in the aberrant sexual abuse.
Dyfed Thomas, representing Birch, stated that his client had been candid with the author of the pre-sentence report, adding that there was little to articulate regarding the offence other that “the images are illegal and justly so.” The speaker stated that the defendant and his associate were significantly indebted, including expenses for Birch’s off-farm rental accommodation, and noted a local “reaction” to the prosecution’s nature, indicating that “some individuals overstepped their bounds.”
Judge Paul Thomas KC described the content discovered on Birch’s phone as “stomach-churning” and indicated that it was evident from his review that the defendant possesses “a long-standing, deviant sexual interest in animals” that requires intervention. He stated that there had already been “ramifications” for the defendant, including financial consequences and “the understandable public abhorrence” for his misconduct. Birch received a four-month prison sentence, suspended for two years, with a one-quarter discount for his guilty pleas, and was mandated to complete a rehabilitation course that includes a program addressing his sexual offences. The judge characterised the delay in the case as “excessive and unjustifiable.”
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