A man who sold chid porn nabbed
Date: May 21, 2004Source: Computer Crime Research Center
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A 20-year-old admitted downloading a stash of child pornography on to his computer before peddling it to other internet users. Nathan Weedall, of Hungerford Terrace, Crewe, kept 176 indecent images and 10 indecent video films of children to be shared online.
He gave the images names including Little Ones Nude, Kiddy Child Porn and Five-year-old rape close-up. One picture involved a sadistic act on a young girl. It was rated as the most indecent possible on a five-point scale.
Weedall had already pleaded guilty to downloading and possessing the images, but originally denied two counts of distributing them and one count of making them available to others, at a trial at Warrington Crown Court. But in a dramatic turnaround yesterday he changed his plea to guilty on all charges.
Wynn Lloyd Jones, prosecuting, said he had downloaded the images from the internet and made them available to others on the file-sharing software Kazaa. The software allows internet users to link up and swap music, picture and video files they have placed in a folder designated for sharing.
Mr Lloyd Jones said any other Kazaa user would have been able to search through Weedall's child pornography and download a copy of the images.
He said: 'It is a form of child abuse because behind every photograph is a child who has been photographed actually being abused.'
The court heard how Weedall was placed under investigation when PC Sean Robbie of the Metropolitan Police Internet Unit received a tip-off in July 2002.
On May 14 last year detectives searched Weedall's home, took away his computer and arrested him. When he was cautioned he replied: 'Life's a bitch'.
Cheshire Police computer specialist DC Gary Brookes examined the hard-drive and found a total of 1,284 pornographic images and 85 pornographic videos. A total of 176 were illegal.
Mr Lloyd Jones said Weedall was highly skilled in computers and the internet and would have known exactly what he was doing' by using Kazaa.
Mark Lebrocq, defending, said new evidence showing Weedall had deliberately selected to share the pornography had come to light during the trial and his client had no option but to plead guilty.
He was of previous good character. Judge Roger Dutton ordered a presentencing report to be carried out on Weedall and said he would be sentenced at some point in May.
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