A GWENT paedophile who subjected his young victim to what a judge called “a long course of sexual abuse and sustained sexual corruption” has been jailed for 13 years and eight months.

Anthony Beach, aged 40, carried out the abuse over a period of around eight years, Cardiff Crown Court was told.

He was caught only after photographs of some of his abusive acts, taken by Beach himself, were found on his computer by a friend who was repairing it.

Judge Neil Bidder told Beach - of no fixed abode, but who committed his crimes in the southern Caerphilly county borough area - that the offences amounted to a “dreadful history of abuse” with the effect on his victim “incalculable.”

Beach pleaded guilty to 29 charges, including one of rape and 19 of sexual activity with a child.

Twelve of the latter happened when the child was under 13, and seven when he was older.

There were four charges of engaging in sexual activity without consent, and one each of causing a child to watch a sexual act, and inciting a child to engage in sexual activity.

There were three charges of producing indecent images of a child, relating to images falling into categories A, B and C.

His victim estimated he had endured more than 100 acts of abuse, and Judge Bidder noted Beach had sought to bribe the boy with “significant” sums of money to buy his silence.

“While accepting that Beach was “very remorseful” for his actions, Judge Bidder added that, looking at his police interviews and the evidence of the child, it is clear “you have very strong paedophilic tendencies towards male children”.

Beach had not sought images of the sexual abuse of children online, but had made his own images of his abuse, and Judge Bidder told him: “I don’t believe you are capable of controlling these paedophilic urges.”

He considers Beach to be a danger, posing a “significant risk of causing serious harm, particularly to young boys”.

Beach received concurrent terms of imprisonment totalling six years on all charges except the rape.

For the latter offence, he will serve a consecutive sentence of seven years and eight months, making 13 years and eight months in all. There is also an extended licence period of two years and four months.

Beach will serve at least two-thirds of his overall sentence - more than nine years - before being considered for parole.

He is also the subject of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order and the sex offenders’ register, both indefinitely.