A man who had called himself Tom Kinmel was given a suspended jail sentence after a court was told how he chatted on whatsapp with a convicted paedophile about pornographic images of boys.

Thomas Hayes, aged 27, is a telecommunications expert living in Lanzarote but the charge he faced was committed on February 2 at KInmel Bay when he had returned on a visit to his mother’s home.

He pleaded guilty to sending a series of indecent messages by means of a public electronic network.

District Judge Gwyn Jones at Llandudno court imposed a 14-week prison sentence suspended for a year, with £200 costs.

The judge said immediate custody could be justified but Hayes was a young man never in trouble before who had expressed remorse. Sexualised images “for the purpose of sexual gratification” had been mentioned.

Diane Williams, prosecuting, said investigations disclosed that Hayes been communicating with a man who had abused children.

David Jones, defending, said Hayes agreed that his actions had been improper and stupid.

“The photographs were not of a child but from a gay website,” Hayes had maintained.

“What he says is that it was one conversation on one day. He didn’t know this person was a convicted paedophile.”