The recent spate of convictions for child sex offences in Abergavenny has brought sentencing for paedophiles back into the spotlight.

Time and again, we watch as people convicted of horrific crimes against children seem to walk away with little more than a slap on the wrist. Suspended sentences and short jail terms send the wrong message - not just to offenders, but to the public, who have every right to expect justice and protection for the most vulnerable in our society.

Recent cases have only intensified this frustration. Take an Abergavenny man caught with nearly 400 indecent images of children - he received a suspended sentence. Then there was a Newport man, with 120,000 child abuse images, also handed a suspended sentence. And in December, a Cwmbran man, found with more than 1,000 images and videos, got the same treatment.

I haven’t got the energy - or the stomach - to list every paedophile who’s managed to avoid jail, but these cases are just part of a much wider issue: sentences that fail to reflect the gravity of the crimes.

Anyone who keeps an eye on court reports, journalist or not, knows how common this is. Every day, there’s a new paedophile in Wales’ courts. It’s almost become routine. But here’s the thing: many of these offenders, especially those caught with abuse images on their phones or computers, seem to get away with much lighter penalties. There’s a clear distinction between physically committing abuse and possessing images, but the reality is that these two things are often linked. One can easily lead to the other - and yet too many offenders slip through the cracks, facing minimal consequences because their crimes aren't as visible or violent. Many paedophiles caught with abuse images do get jailed, but it’s nowhere near enough. Too many still walk free.

New figures this week have revealed that Welsh police forces recorded an average of six offences per day linked to child sexual abuse images last year.

According to Home Office data, a total of 2,194 such offences were logged across Wales in 2024.

Gwent Police alone recorded 503 offences, which include a range of crimes such as possessing, creating, distributing, or publishing indecent images of children, as well as coercing a minor to share such material.

Adding to the tension, there are other disturbing incidents, like the recent report of a man in a balaclava indecently exposing himself to children walking home from school in the alley between Park Crescent and Ysguborwen. This only adds to the growing sense of fear and frustration in the community.

People are frustrated because the justice system doesn’t seem to be holding offenders accountable. Communities should feel safe, but lenient sentencing is chipping away at public trust in the judicial system. It risks emboldening offenders, knowing the consequences might not be so severe.

The justice system must be strong enough to ensure that those who prey on children face sentences that truly match the severity of their actions. Anything less is a betrayal of the duty we have to protect victims.