MasterChef contestant who tried to blackmail cops with sex pics after he was caught with child abuse images is jailed
A FORMER MasterChef contestant who tried blackmailing cops after he was caught with a sickening stash of child abuse images has been jailed.
Caerwyn Ash walked into Swansea police station with a brown envelope addressed to the head of CID after the vile haul was found.
The 41-year-old claimed it contained a document threatening to distribute sexually explicit material involving South Wales Police officers unless the probe against him was stopped.
Ash, who was a quarter finalist in the 2016 series of MasterChef, has now been jailed for three years.
Newport Crown Court was told he still maintains his innocence despite police finding more than 100 indecent images.
But Judge Wayne Beard told him: "You have not accepted the jury's verdict and in light of that there is no prospect of any rehabilitation taking place by means of the probation service.
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"You created a document which in effect said would result in the release of videos of police officers if the court case was not stopped.
"I've no doubt your intent was to bring the other charges that you faced to an end.
"I consider the seriousness includes the nature of the conduct in which you were engage; making threats towards police officers involved in aspects of their private lives - whether true or not.
"You indicated you had already provided members of the press with videos of those police officers. This was a deliberate, manipulative and cynical attempt.
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"However it was an attempt that was very unlikely ever to succeed in any way, shape or form."
Ash was previously convicted of a string of offences including possessing indecent images of children and attempting to pervert the course of justice.
The courtheard a search warrant was executed at Ash's partner's home in April 2019.
Officers found more than three dozen indecent pictures and videos along with more than 100 extreme pornographic photos and movies.
These contained child sex images as well as adults having sex with animals.
Ash, who described himself in court as a "celebrity chef", was charged in August 2022 with a court appearance set for September 21.
But the day before, he walked into Swansea Central Police station with the envelope threatening to disclose sensitive information to a "trusted friend" in the media.
He claimed he would "create an earthquake" if the charges against him were not dropped.
University academic Ash, who was an associate professor of medical devices, was found guilty of two counts of possessing indecent images of children, two counts of possessing extreme pornography.
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He was also convicted of and attempting to pervert the course of public justice but cleared of two further counts of making indecent images of children.
