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| Lt Col Mark Smyth jailed for indecent pictures at beach | Lt Col Mark Smyth jailed for indecent pictures at beach |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| A high-ranking army officer has been jailed for taking pictures of children as they changed on a Pembrokeshire beach. | A high-ranking army officer has been jailed for taking pictures of children as they changed on a Pembrokeshire beach. |
| Swansea Crown Court heard holidaymakers had become suspicious of Lt Col Mark Smyth's behaviour. | Swansea Crown Court heard holidaymakers had become suspicious of Lt Col Mark Smyth's behaviour. |
| The 43-year-old from North Somerset was already part of a sex offenders' treatment programme for a previous offence. | The 43-year-old from North Somerset was already part of a sex offenders' treatment programme for a previous offence. |
| Judge Paul Thomas said Smyth's actions were "deliberate and cunning". | Judge Paul Thomas said Smyth's actions were "deliberate and cunning". |
| Swansea Crown Court heard that Smyth had been given a second chance by a judge after a previous court hearing in May was told of his military career in Afghanistan and Iraq. | |
| He was allowed to keep his job in the army with the same rank after being caught with 5,000 images of children and sharing them with other paedophiles. | He was allowed to keep his job in the army with the same rank after being caught with 5,000 images of children and sharing them with other paedophiles. |
| Some of those films and photographs had been taken near his barracks in Tidworth, Wiltshire. | |
| Smyth then went on holiday with his wife and two children and was caught videoing a six-year-old girl changing into a wetsuit at Whitesands Bay in St Davids, Pembrokeshire, on 3 August. | Smyth then went on holiday with his wife and two children and was caught videoing a six-year-old girl changing into a wetsuit at Whitesands Bay in St Davids, Pembrokeshire, on 3 August. |
| The commanding officer in the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers claimed he started filming children as young as 18 months for an "adrenaline rush". | The commanding officer in the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers claimed he started filming children as young as 18 months for an "adrenaline rush". |
| The judge jailed him for two-and-a-half-years and said: "Surely an army officer has other outlets for adrenaline." | The judge jailed him for two-and-a-half-years and said: "Surely an army officer has other outlets for adrenaline." |
| Smyth will now lose his military career and pension. | Smyth will now lose his military career and pension. |
| The judge told him: "You are not the usual inadequate, pathetic individual who comes before the court on this sort of charge. | The judge told him: "You are not the usual inadequate, pathetic individual who comes before the court on this sort of charge. |
| "You are an extremely intelligent man who achieved a rank of lieutenant colonel, a privilege obtained by very few. | "You are an extremely intelligent man who achieved a rank of lieutenant colonel, a privilege obtained by very few. |
| "But privilege comes with responsibility. | "But privilege comes with responsibility. |
| 'Calculating individual' | 'Calculating individual' |
| "You knew before how lucky you were to retain this rank but within just a few weeks you reoffended in a deliberate and cunning way. | "You knew before how lucky you were to retain this rank but within just a few weeks you reoffended in a deliberate and cunning way. |
| "This had all the hallmarks of a devious and calculating individual who can only be stopped by the deprivation of liberty." | "This had all the hallmarks of a devious and calculating individual who can only be stopped by the deprivation of liberty." |
| Smyth, from Nailsea, North Somerset, admitted 16 charges of taking indecent photographs of children and being in possession of 29 indecent photos of children. | Smyth, from Nailsea, North Somerset, admitted 16 charges of taking indecent photographs of children and being in possession of 29 indecent photos of children. |
| He also admitted breaking a sexual offences prevention order imposed at Bristol Crown Court on 20 May. | He also admitted breaking a sexual offences prevention order imposed at Bristol Crown Court on 20 May. |
| Smyth was sentenced to 16 months in prison for the original offences; 10 months for taking pictures in Pembrokeshire; and four months for breaching the previous order - all to run concurrently. | Smyth was sentenced to 16 months in prison for the original offences; 10 months for taking pictures in Pembrokeshire; and four months for breaching the previous order - all to run concurrently. |
| In addition he was ordered to sign the sex offenders' register indefinitely and was given a new sexual offences order, also to run indefinitely. | In addition he was ordered to sign the sex offenders' register indefinitely and was given a new sexual offences order, also to run indefinitely. |
| The order bans him from swimming pools, children's play areas and schools. | The order bans him from swimming pools, children's play areas and schools. |