In 2021, David Smith, a then-69-year-old former school tennis coach from Grove, near Wantage, was handed a 10-month suspended prison sentence after pleading guilty to possessing over 1,000 indecent images of children and extreme pornography.
David Smith, of Grove, near Wantage, appeared at Oxford Crown Court for sentencing after pleading guilty to possession of indecent images of children, possession of extreme pornography, and possession of a prohibited image of a child. The court heard that police raided Smith’s home in February 2020 following an online tip-off. Officers seized devices containing more than 1,000 child abuse images, including 149 Category A images depicting the rape of children aged between five and 16, as well as 396 extreme pornographic images and 43 prohibited images. Smith had previously worked for 12 years as a head tennis coach in local schools and clubs.
Judge Nigel Daly sentenced Smith to 10 months in prison, suspended for 18 months, alongside a sex offender rehabilitation programme, a three-month curfew, and £425 in costs. The judge also made him subject to a 10-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO).
Following his convictions for child sexual abuse material, Smith was ordered to register as a sex offender for 10 years.
He also remains subject to statutory public protection notification requirements and long-term risk management by law enforcement.
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