A social worker from Machynlleth has been jailed after sending sexual AI-generated videos to someone he thought was a 14-year-old girl.

John Langdon, 63, of 6 Brickfield Street, who is a former soldier, has been sentenced to 16 months in prison after appearing before Swansea Crown Court, having previously pleaded guilty to charges of attempted sexual communications with a child and to attempting to cause a child to watch a sexual act.

The court heard that Landgon made contact with a profile online purporting to be a 14-year-old girl, when in fact is was being operated by members of a so-called paedophile hunter group.

The court heard Landgon told the decoy he wanted to give her a hug and then asked for pictures. When an appropriate photo was provided, he used it to generate AI videos of him and the "girl" hugging and kissing which he sent back to the decoy. He then sent an AI-generated video of the "girl" being undressed.

The court heard the defendant went on to send the decoy further AI videos of oral sex.

The court heard the operators of the decoy subsequently went to Landgon's address and confronted him in an incident which was livestreamed on social media.

Police were called and Langdon was arrested and when interviewed, he told officers he only wanted a ‘platonic relationship’ with the child.

He accepted making the AI-generated videos in what he called "a moment of madness" and said he did not get any sexual gratification from doing so.

Caitlin Brazel, for Langdon, said the defendant had served for nine years in the Army and then found employment in a variety of jobs before working a social worker for adults with learning difficulties for the last eight years.

She said her client's "troubled upbringing" no doubt contributed to his mental health battles and his time in the military "did not help".

Judge Paul Thomas KC said there were elements of grooming and deviousness in what the defendant did and he noted Langon had told the author of the pre-sentence report that he was not guilty and had been, in effect, "stitched up" by his legal representative.

He told the defendant: "It is clear from the facts of the case you are a man with a significant sexual interest in young girls. In other words you are a paedophile. It is equally clear that you do not – publicly at least – accept you are a paedophile.

"Perhaps you do not want to admit this fact to others.

"Your continued denial that you are a paedophile makes me question the effectiveness of any intervention designed to address this deviancy.

"The author of the pre-sentence report comes to the same conclusion. I find there is no realistic prospect of rehabilitation at the moment."

Sentenced to 16 months in prison, he will only serve 40 per cent behind bars before being released on licence.

Langdon will be a registered sex offender for 10 years and was made subject to a sexual harm prevention order to run for the same length of time.