WARNING – DISTRESSING CONTENT: Jack Tyler, from Corwen, Wales, sexually abused and battered a black spaniel and a jack terrier with both ending up dying, as well as downloading indecent images of children
A man filmed himself raping and abusing dogs in what a judge described as “as bad a case of animal cruelty and bestiality you can imagine”.
For many years Jack Tyler raped, beat up and strangled a black spaniel and a jack terrier to such an extent that the dogs gave up their ability to fight back from the extreme abuse they received. One of the dogs had to be put down while the other was removed from the home by veterinary services and later died. At a sentencing hearing at Truro Crown Court today it was heard that the National Crime Agency were alerted to indecent images of children being uploaded to the internet from an address in Bodmin.
A search warrant was executed on Tyler’s address and electronic devices were found and later analysed. Lewis Aldous, prosecuting, told the court that after being examined, a computer and a mobile phone yielded hundreds of indecent images and videos of children being raped and abused, some newborn babies or as young as three to five years old.
In total, more than 3,000 still images and films of all categories were found as well as prohibited and extreme pornographic images. There was also evidence that some images had been distributed on the Telegram social network, including images of abuse of babies.
Officers from Devon and Cornwall Police also found eight files containing videos of Tyler, 23, from Corwen in Wales, sexually abusing the family dogs, including by rape, beating them and strangling them into submission when they wouldn’t comply.
His Honour Judge Simon Carr said this was one of the worst cases of animal abuse and cruelty he had ever had to deal with. Mr Aldous said that a vet report concluded the two dogs had suffered so much physically, mentally and sexually that they had lost their fight-or-flight ability, reported CornwallLive.
He said Tyler’s behaviour had been sadistic and prolonged with no care for the welfare of the animals and for the impact the indecent images in his possession have on children. The court was told that Tyler was arrested in October 2021 in relation to the images found on his devices, but when the NCA discovered that more indecent images were being uploaded to the internet from an address linked to him, police searched his house and discovered more devices included phones he had been using.
Mr Aldous said he had been given the new devices by his parents without any parental control on them. Tyler was charged with one count of possession of extreme pornographic images, causing unnecessary suffering to an animal, three counts of possession of indecent images of children (covering categories A, B and C) two counts of distributing indecent images of children, two counts of sexual abuse of a dog. He pleaded guilty to all charges at Bodmin Magistrates’ Court last year.
In mitigation, Chris Cuddihee, said Tyler was a young man with no previous convictions, who was crying out for psychological help and support. He said the 23-year-old had lived a virtual existence in isolation from the real world, and had not had any coherent support for his autism and compulsive behaviour.
He said Tyler had been “remarkably open, atypically open, about his thoughts and his future”, adding that with the right help he would be a realistic prospect for rehabilitation and had become “desensitised” to what he sees on the internet, adding: “There is a long journey for this young man to return from the very dark place he had ended up in to become a functioning member of society. He wants to do that.
“It is a grim modern tale of a young person being lost in the darkest corners of the internet. He doesn’t seem to engage with the real world and real people. He has lived in isolation from people in Cornwall and in North Wales. He has become utterly lost.” He added: “This young man needs treatment and therapy which will not be available to him in prison. He is vulnerable and would become even more vulnerable if he went to prison.”
Judge Carr said this was the most disturbing list of sexual offences he had to sentence someone for. He said the abuse the dogs had received had been the most “horrific” he had seen. He said: “It’s as bad a case of animal cruelty and bestiality you can imagine. There is only one reason for recording the offences, that is so you could watch and relive and masturbate over the images again and again, impervious to the pain the animals were experiencing.”
He said Tyler had shown no empathy for any of the animals and children being abused in the photographs and videos found on his computers. He added: “You have no empathy or remorse or understanding of the harm that you have caused.” Judge Carr said Tyler presents a great risk of reoffending if left out of prison and would pose a risk of harm to other people and animals.
“It’s clear that you understand how others see what you did as wrong, “Judge Carr told him. “But in truth you do not think that what you have done is wrong. You do not think you need help.” Despite taking into consideration the fact that Tyler would certainly be at risk of falling prey to others in prison, Judge Carr sentenced him to three years. Tyler is also banned from having animals for life with a minimum of 10 years. He will be on the sex offenders’ register for life and has a 10-year order ban on accessing the internet imposed on him.
