A comedian who has performed at mother-and-baby gigs has a conviction for child pornography.

Dylan Jones, now 53, received a 12-month suspended sentence in 2017 under his real name of David Parton after police found 549 indecent images of children on his computer when they visited his home in Penarth, near Cardiff. He remains on the sex offenders’ register.

Comedians on the South Wales circuit reacted with shock and revulsion after learning about his past, and feared his use of a stage name was designed to hide his conviction.

The case also raises questions about what checks promoters should make on comics performing at family gigs. The law does not require sex offenders to volunteer their convictions, but must do so if an employer asks.

Parton apologised for ‘the hurt I  have caused to the comedy community’ as well as the victims of the images he downloaded, and said he had successfully been seeking help for his problems. A total of 44 of the images were of the most serious kind, category A. 

His 2017 sentence was suspended for two years. He was also ordered to carry out 100 hours’ unpaid work, be subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for ten years and to register as a sex offender for the same amount of time.

At Cardiff Crown Court, he admitted that he had been viewing images for four or five years and had an interest in spanking. He said he had never wanted to participate in such activity and needed help. Passing sentence,  Recorder Simon Mills acknowledged  Parton had assisted the police, expressed remorse and pleaded guilty at the first opportunity.

Since his conviction, Parton has continued to perform on the stand-up circuit under his new stage name, including performing at two mother-and-baby gigs, Babi Comedy, last autumn.

After his conviction was revealed on a Facebook group for Cardiff-based comedians yesterday, colleagues registered their disgust. One even said: ‘I've been in a car with him, been to gigs with him,  lived next door to him. And now I feel physically ill and like I have to phone my Dad to tell him to move because I won't go over the house ever again knowing he breathes next door.’ 

Others said: This is very shocking and saddening and I only hope he understands the magnitude of what he's been doing’; ’I like everyone else was totally unaware of this sickening news. I find myself in complete shock and anger’; and  ‘There are so many layers of horrible to this that it's hard to know what to think other than at every opportunity he has failed to do the right thing’. 

Another comic posted: ‘I’ll tell you what: the one who needs "help" in this situation is each and every child who was abused, assaulted and trafficked to make the indecent images he kept. THEY need rehabilitation. THEY need therapy.’

There were also concerns about him using a professional alias. One comic said: ’When sex offenders are sincerely working on changing their behaviour I would usually urge against this sort of thing [naming-and-shaming],  but immediately creating a new alias is certainly immoral. Shocking.’

However Parton insisted he had not intended to mislead people.

In a statement to Chortle, he said: ‘It's obviously been a shock to many, and I fully understand the hurt I have caused to the comedy community, my family and friends and most importantly the victims of the images I downloaded. 

‘There is no justification for what I did, but I have been working with voluntary organisations, the police and mental health professionals to address my offending behaviour and my underlying serious mental health issues.

‘I am in a very different place to where I was four years ago when I was arrested. I am under regular supervision by the police.  My mania and depression are under control, and I have not reoffended in four years.

‘Police were aware of my change of stage name, and there has never been an attempt to disguise my identity or mislead people.’

Speaking of the mother-and-baby gigs he said: ‘There was no interaction between myself or the mother, babies or toddlers. More importantly I was accompanied the whole time. Again I can only apologise to those who have been hurt by my actions.’

But fellow comic Jorden Haste said: ‘The fact he's put himself around children multiple times, even lending his PA system when he's not actually an act so he's there, shows he's not ashamed.’

Hales Corney, promoter of the Babi Comedy gigs in Cardiff, told Chortle: ‘I’m shocked and saddened by these revelations. It’s a big wake-up call and we’re going to put extra steps in place when we restart after the lockdown.’

In a blog post on his website earlier this year, Parton spoke of suicidal feelings around the time of his conviction, saying he took an overdose of paracetamol and drove to his favourite beach. He explained: ‘I was a mess. I had done a lot of stuff I’m not proud of, and put everything, and everyone I valued at risk.’

But he said he was buoyed by messages online to try to turn his life around. ‘I wasn’t "cured",’ he posted. ‘There was no overnight recovery. It too all sorts of therapy and drugs to get me back on an even keel. Part of my recovery was to change my name…. It’s not too late to change direction.’

Parton started on the comedy circuit in 1998 under his real name. According to his biography he had previously been ‘a failed radio presenter, wedding DJ, musician, social worker and brush salesman’. He took some time off the circuit to become an actor, before returning in 2015.

However the revelations about his past are certain to curtain that career. One promoter posted: ‘I’ll obviously never book him again and I can assure you that I’ll make this known to other comics and bookers.’