Former MasterChef contestant Caerwyn Ash on trial accused of possessing child sex abuse images

A former MasterChef contestant has gone on trial accused of possessing child sex abuse images and threatening to publish sexually explicit material involving police officers.

Caerwyn Ash is alleged to have had more than three dozen indecent pictures and videos along with more than 100 extreme pornographic photos and movies showing people having sex with animals on his computer devices.

He is also alleged to have tried to get the charges against him dropped by threatening to disclose sensitive sexual material to the media.

Mr Ash, 41, of Swansea, reached the quarter finals in the 2016 series of the popular BBC culinary series. He is on trial at Cardiff Crown Court and denies all the charges.

Opening the case for the prosecution, James Wilson said police executed a search warrant at Ash’s partner’s house in Morriston in April 2019 and seized a number of electronic devices from a shed or office garden at the property.

He added that indecent images and extreme pornography were subsequently found on a computer tower and a computer hard drive.

The defendant was charged with the image offences in August 2022 and the first hearing was set for Swansea Magistrates Court on September 21.

However, the day before the hearing, the prosecutor said Ash walked into Swansea Central Police station with an envelope addressed to the head of CID which contained a document in which he said he would distribute sexually explicit material involving South Wales Police officers to the world’s media unless proceedings against him were stopped.

The trial, at which the defendant is representing himself, is expected to last three weeks.