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Archive for the ‘possession’ Category

PRESS RELEASE: Schlock Horror! Stafford jury acquits fantasy porn defendant: “PRESS RELEASE: Schlock Horror! Stafford jury acquits fantasy porn defendant
By Nick | Published: January 7, 2011

For immediate release

Schlock Horror! Stafford jury acquits fantasy porn defendant

Prosecutors fail first test case to make mock erotic murder scenes illegal.

Kevin Webster, who downloaded erotic fantasy images with violent themes from the internet, (1) was found not guilty of possession of ‘extreme pornography’ (2) at Stafford Crown Court today. The jury were asked to decide whether obviously faked death images were in fact ‘realistic’ depictions of sexual violence; despite the prosecution having to accept, before the trial even began, that the images were clearly ‘staged’. In a victory for common sense and free speech the jury unanimously acquitted Mr Webster of all charges.

Mr Webster’s solicitor Myles Jackman of Audu and Co, who has now successfully defended a number of extreme pornography prosecutions (3), said: ‘The jury’s clear and unequivocal message is a damning blow to the credibility of the ill-conceived and prurient extreme pornography legislation. It has previously led to the state prosecuting the possession of dirty-jokes; and in Mr Webster’s case what were clearly unrealistic high-camp horror fantasy images’.

Expert witness Prof Feona Attwood of Sheffield Hallam University described the images in question as ‘less realistic than a British soap opera.’

According to Alexandra Dymock of Backlash, (4) the sexual civil liberties organisation who put Mr Webster in contact with his specialist legal team, said: ‘This ill-conceived, insufficiently researched and poorly written law has now been shown to be not only a waste of valuable legal aid and police resources, but that it is also out of step with the attitudes of ordinary members of the British public in the face of reasonable argument, even if they find the material itself distasteful.’

Backlash have petitioned the Coalition to include the extreme porn act in the forthcoming repeal bill and hope Mr Webster’s case illustrates the need for this repressive and intrusive legislation to be removed from the statute books.

Ends

Notes for editors

(1) http://www.thisisstaffordshire.co.uk/news/New-laws-test-landmark-trial/article-3065740-detail/article.html

(2) http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/battle-lines-drawn-over-bill-to-ban-extreme-porn-1216231.html

(3) http://www.theregister.co.uk/2010/08/06/tiger_freed/

(4) Backlash http://www.backlash-uk.org.uk/ is an umbrella organisation providing legal, academic and campaigning resources defending freedom of sexual expression.

Welsh police come down hard on Octopussy porn: “

Man accused of possessing extreme porn

A man appeared before Swansea magistrates this week accused of possessing extreme porn images, including one which allegedly shows ‘a person performing an act of intercourse with a dead animal, namely a squid.’…

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(Via The Register – Public Sector.)

Man remanded for extreme porn offences: “

Time to dust off those disk scrubbers?

An arrest – and remand time – for being suspected of possessing extreme porn may act as wake-up call for those who thought that the new law on extreme porn would just quietly fade away.…

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(Via The Register – Public Sector.)

Written material saved from censor’s big black pen – for now: “

Lords suicide debate saves the day

Censorship of written material is off the agenda – for now: and for that we may need to thank Lord Falconer’s intense interest in suicide.…

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(Via The Register – Public Sector.)

Ukraine Outlaws Pornography, but ‘Medicinal’ Use Is OK: “Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko signed a law into effect yesterday making possession of pornography a criminal offense.”

(Via XBIZ.com | News & Articles.)

PC repair techs police dangerous picture law: “

Careful where you surf

A visit to your PC repair shop could be swiftly followed by a trip to court and a short stay in your local jail if it harbours any remotely questionable material – whether you knew about it or not.…

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(Via The Register – Public Sector.)

U.K. Attacks Extreme Porn: “Recently, the U.K. has begun a clampdown on ‘extreme porn.’ Meanwhile, across the rest of Europe, various countries are limbering up to clamp down on adults viewing what they deem to be unsavory material on the Internet.”

(Via XBIZ.com | News & Articles.)

US – Child porn damages precedent set: “(BBC)
A British man living in the US has been told by a judge to pay $200,000 to a woman for possessing an indecent image of her as a child. The judge said it was the first such criminal case in which someone found possessing illegal images had to pay restitution, despite not creating them. Briton Alan Hesketh was sentenced to 78 months in prison in October.”

(Via QuickLinks Update.)

UK ‘bad’ pics ban to stretch?: “

Is that a loophole? How disgusting

The government could be planning to up the ante when it comes to material it doesn’t approve of – it may become illegal to even look at images, not merely possess them.…

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(Via The Register – Public Sector.)

Extreme Pornography : Legal Guidance : Crown Prosecution Service

Up to date on 19 January 2009

This link will lead you to the Guidance on Extreme Pornography provided by the Crown Prosecution Service. It has been prepared to assist Crown Prosecutors and Associate Prosecutors when making decisions in respect of sections 63 to 67 of the Act to prosecute for possession of extreme pornographic images.