A former MasterChef contestant convicted of possessing child sexual abuse images was only caught out after his ex-partner discovered explicit videos of her on a porn site. Emma Calved, who had been engaged to Caerwyn Ash and who had two children with him, had a call out of the blue from her sister in Scotland who told her there were videos of her on PornHub.
The couple had split up in 2014 and Emma didn't have a clue the material had been posted on the internet. She reported her ex to the police and it was while they searched through a number of electronic devices that they discovered indecent images and extreme pornography.
Emma said police pursued that part of the investigation and on May 26, Ash was convicted of two counts of making - that is possessing - indecent images of children and two counts of possessing extreme pornography at Cardiff Crown Court. He was also convicted of attempting to pervert the course of public justice after he threatened to publish sexually explicit material involving South Wales Police officers unless the case against him was dropped.
Ash was described by a prison source from HMP Parc, where he's been held on remand and during his trial, as "the most arrogant person [they had] ever come across". Emma, from Newport, had been in a relationship with Ash since the pair were in high school together. She said she couldn't believe he'd "sunk that low" when she found the images.
"When I clicked on the link, there were some images and videos," she explained. "Some of the videos I had done consensually but there were also ones where I was under the influence and hadn't consented (to being filmed)."
It wasn't until after the couple had split up in 2014, after Ash allegedly had an affair with another woman, that they appeared online. Emma said it was "100% revenge". Even though she's since learned her fiancée had been leading a double life, thanks to the evidence given during his trial. South Wales Police confirmed it received an initial complaint on May 10, 2018.
"I never thought he'd sink that low," she said. "The things I learned about over the last two weeks. I was dumbfounded at what he said. I never thought my ex-partner was capable of doing that. Especially when he's the father of your children. The more I sat there and the more I listened to him lying, I knew he was going to be found guilty."
Even so, hearing Ash's duplicitous life laid bare in court was "a massive kick in the stomach" for the 39-year-old NHS worker. Their two daughters, aged 16 and 19, are disappointed and angry at their father, especially after he accused them of downloading stuff on to his computer.
Emma, who is now married to her current partner, said she "shouldn't feel ashamed" by what her ex alleged in court, especially as the jury threw his version of events out. "He claims he didn't upload the footage even though the police have tracked it back to his IP address," she said. "It's always someone else's fault for Ash."
Caerwyn Harry William John Ash, aged 41, of Kilvey Terrace, St Thomas, Swansea, denied any knowledge of the images found by police, and at trial said a large number of people had access to the devices over the years and he even suggested they could have been planted.
Ash was charged in August 2022 and the first hearing was set for Swansea Magistrates Court on September 21 - however the day before the hearing the defendant walked into Swansea Central Police station and handed in a lengthy 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.
Emma, who met Ash at speedway racing, said her ex always had a "dismissive, narcissist" streak and was always away for long periods of time. Emma thought he was travelling for work and said she effectively brought up their two girls on her own. "I believed he was working away but I found out in court he wasn't," Emma explained. "He lived this double life." Part of that was living with another woman in Cheltenham.
Hearing the details in court felt like a "personal invasion" and was "demeaning", said Emma. But even so, life is better for her now than it ever was: "When we split up I was happy," she said. "It was my choice. Life is better than it's ever been."
All she has ever wanted is Ash to be "held accountable" for what he's done and punished for his actions. "He needs to take responsibility for what he did," she added. "It just needs to be said that he is dishonest and not genuine."
Ash was remanded into custody and will be sentenced on June 19.
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