Former primary school teaching assistant jailed for more than 18 years for child sex abuse

Tommy Lee Allington was arrested at his home in Penlan, Swansea, on 28 April and pleaded guilty to a total of 17 charges at his pretrial hearing in Swansea Crown Court.

On Friday (1 September) he was jailed for 18 years and eight months, with six years on licence, and ordered to be on the sex offenders’ register for life.

The court heard shocking reports of how Allington filmed himself raping a baby boy and then shared images with paedophiles on the messaging app Telegram.

More than 1,500 indecent images of children, including 252 showing the most extreme kinds of child sex abuse, were found on a phone hidden in his attic.

Detective Constable Amanda Jenkins, from South Wales Police who investigated, said: “Offences of this kind will always be shocking and disturbing, particularly when that person is in a position of trust.

“This will undoubtedly be difficult news for the local community but please be assured that our teams and partners have safeguarded and supported all those involved in the investigation.

“The victim’s family has shown incredible strength and courage throughout this case.”

Detective Inspector Sharon Gill-Lewis added: “I would like to take this opportunity to encourage anyone who believes they may have been a victim of any form of sexual abuse to report it to us.

Please be assured that we will always treat you with the utmost sensitivity and respect.”