Caerwyn Ash reached the MasterChef quarterfinals in 2016
A MasterChef contestant was jailed for possessing child abuse images and then blackmailing cops when they caught him.
Caerwyn Ash, 41, from Swansea, threatened to release footage of police officers engaging in sexual acts unless the case against him was dropped.
Ash was found guilty of possessing 20 indecent images and five videos.
He was also found guilty of possessing extreme pornography and attempting to pervert the course of justice.
Cardiff Crown Court heard that Ash went to Swansea Central Police Station the day before he was due to appear before the city magistrates court.
He took a letter addressed to the “CID Chief” asking for the charges to be dropped or he would “create an earthquake” by posting material of South Wales Police officers involved in sexual acts through a “trusted friend in the Association of the Press”.
Prosecutor James Wilson said that of the 20 indecent images, 11 were category A most serious.
Five A-grade child abuse videos and extreme pornography videos were also found on a hard drive at Ash’s partner’s home in Morriston, Swansea, in April 2019.
Ash denied the charges, saying that he would “never look at a picture like that” and that if he did see it, he would “immediately inform the police.”
He described his life as “destroyed” and said he has lost two houses since his arrest.
Caerwyn Ash reached the MasterChef quarterfinals in 2016
Pronouncing the sentence, Judge Wayne Barnes said: “You have consistently denied wrongdoing and I must sentence you based on the jury’s verdict.
“In light of that and your not accepting the jury’s verdict, there is no prospect of rehabilitation. The images and videos speak for themselves due to their serious categories.
“Your possession of extreme pornography shows a level of obsession in sexual matters.”
The judge described Ash’s “deliberate attempt to stop the prosecution” against him by blackmailing police officers as “a cynical and manipulative move”.
Judge Beard sentenced Ash to a total of three years in prison: two years for perverting the course of justice and one year for possessing and downloading indecent images.