SINGAPORE: A local man was sentenced to two years in prison on Tuesday (28 Mar) after being caught in possession of over 15,000 photos and videos depicting child pornography.
The court heard that the 36-year-old man, Ansari Abdul Amin, used the messaging app Telegram to watch pornography between 2013 and 2014. The content the man viewed included pornographic videos of babies and children under 11 being s*xually abused by adults.
Ansari joined adult-themed chat groups from which he downloaded pornographic videos and photos to cloud storage and file hosting services.
Between 2014 and 2015, he watched pornography two to three times a week before he went on to keep newer content to exchange with other users. He began exchanging pornographic content with other users in 2016.
On 18 October 2021, the police arrested Ansari at his workplace after being alerted that he had downloaded child abuse material online. Officers raided his home and seized his mobile phone. A search of his online accounts revealed at least 15,850 electronic files of child s*xual abuse and obscenity.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Bryan Wong argued that Ansari had a “depraved thirst for child abuse material” and that “he was no ‘silent’ watcher.”
Asserting that the aggravating factors were the large volume of material and “deeply shocking” videos, the prosecutor sought two, to two and a half years imprisonment as he acknowledged that Ansari cooperated with the police and pleaded guilty at the earliest opportunity.
Those convicted of possessing child abuse material may face a maximum jail term of five years, a fine and/or caning.