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SINGAPORE – After construction worker Zahidul clicked on a Facebook link in 2017, he was taken to a WhatsApp chat group where members shared obscene material, including videos of sexual activity between adults.
The Bangladeshi became addicted to viewing such material and eventually also developed an obsession with child pornography.
It was later discovered that he had more than 1,000 obscene videos on his two mobile phones. These include 83 videos showing child pornography, some of which involve children as young as one year of age.
Zahidul, 36, was sentenced to six months in jail on Thursday (October 8), after pleading guilty to one count of possession of child abuse material and transmission of pornographic videos electronically.
Another charge of possession of obscene films was taken into consideration by Chief District Judge Ong Hian Sun.
The court documents claim that Zahidul became addicted to watching obscene videos after viewing such videos shared on the WhatsApp messaging group he joined in 2017. The group members also shared information about other groups on various messaging apps where they circulated. obscene videos.
Assistant District Attorney Sheldon Lim said Zahidul continued to search for obscene videos by joining more messaging groups on various apps such as Telegram and Line.
He also became addicted to viewing child abuse material after watching videos of children engaging in sexual activity, the DPP said.
Later, Zahidul started downloading obscene videos from the messaging groups for his own viewing pleasure and to share with other groups.
On November 9, 2017, he shared two videos he downloaded, showing children engaging in sexual acts with adults, on a WhatsApp messaging group. Interpol reported this incident to the Singapore police on June 22 this year. The police arrested Zahidul at his residence on June 30 and confiscated two mobile phones.
A total of 1,290 obscene videos were found on the phones, including 83 videos of boys engaging in sexual activity with men or other boys.
“The children in the videos range from one year to 14, and most of the videos show children who are prepubescent,” DPP Lim said.
Urging the court to impose a jail term of at least 12 months, the DPP said in its written submissions that although Zahidul did not produce the child abuse material, “by searching, viewing and downloading it, he was still contributing to the production and proliferation of the material in our society ”.
Appearing in court via video link on Thursday, Zahidul burst into tears minutes after the hearing began.
He also asked for a lighter sentence and said, among other things, that he was the sole breadwinner in his family, which included his elderly parents.
His incarceration has been retroactive to July 2, when he was first shipped.
For transmitting the two pornographic videos electronically, Zahidul could have been jailed for up to three months and / or fined.
For possessing child abuse material, you could have been imprisoned for up to five years and fined or punished.
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