Disgusting child-porn ring busted

[Peter]

In an unusual legal case arising from the increasingly popular practice known as “sexting,” six Pennsylvania high school students are facing child pornography charges after three teenage girls allegedly took nude or semi-nude photos of themselves and shared them with male classmates via their cell phones.

The female students at Greensburg Salem High School in Greensburg, Pa., all 14- or 15-years-old, face charges of manufacturing, disseminating or possessing child pornography while the boys, who are 16 and 17, face charges of possession, according to WPXI-TV in Pittsburgh, which published the story on its Web site on Tuesday.

Police told the station that the photos were discovered in October, after school officials seized a cell phone from a male student who was using it in violation of school rules and found a nude photo of a classmate on it. Police were called in and their investigation led them to other phones containing more photos, it said.
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Police Capt. George Seranko was quoted as saying that the first photograph was “a self portrait taken of a juvenile female taking pictures of her body, nude."

The school district issued a statement Tuesday saying that the investigation turned up “no evidence of inappropriate activity on school grounds … other than the violation of the electronic devices policy.” The statement also said that school officials didn’t learn of the charges against the students until Monday.

In the WPXI story, which included contributions from the Associated Press, Saranko indicated that authorities decided to file the child pornography charges to send a strong message to other minors who might consider sending such photos to friends.

"It's very dangerous," he said. "Once it's on a cell phone, that cell phone can be put on the Internet where everyone in the world can get access to that juvenile picture. You don't realize what you are doing until it's already done." (Seranko could not be reached for comment on Thursday, and a woman who answered the phone at the Greensburg Police Department said, “Our department is not doing any more interviews on the case.”)

But Patrick Artur, a Philadelphia defense attorney who by his reckoning has handled at least 80 child pornography cases, said the prosecution of minors for photos they took themselves runs counter to the purpose of both state and federal child pornography laws: Preventing the sexual abuse of children by “dirty old men in raincoats.”

“It’s clearly overkill,” he said. “… The letter of the law seems to have been violated, but this is not the type of defendant that the legislature envisioned” in passing the statute.

Artur said that because there is no mandatory minimum sentence under Pennsylvania’s child pornography law, unlike the federal statute, the students would not necessarily be incarcerated if they are found guilty. But he noted that convictions would have "serious, serious implications," including forcing them having to register as sexual offenders for at least 10 years.

While Artur said the prosecution of a juvenile for allegedly creating and distributing child porn was new to him, a quick review of federal and state statistics showed there have been a handful of similar cases, and several convictions.

While few minors have found themselves in court for e-mailing or posting sexy photos of themselves, there is little doubt that ubiquitous cell phones and easy access to computers have tempted many to push the erotic envelope.

The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy reported last month that a survey of 1,280 teens and young adults found that 20 percent of the teens said they had sent or posted nude or semi nude photos or videos of themselves. That number was slightly higher for teenage girls — 22 percent — vs. boys — 18 percent.

Children everywhere are safer now that these sick deviants are facing the consequences of their self-abuse and self-exploitation.  Hopefully they'll suffer the same fate as these child pornographers.

[Frolic_Fun]

TL;DR

Pete here probably looks at child porn secretly.

[vodz]

Seriously, if anyone has any examples they wish the share, txt me on +61401618673.

[El]

Right up there with teens being charged with statutory rape for having consentual sex with parters their own age.  I agree that AOC issues should be paid attention to to prevent exploitation, but how the hell can you reasonably say soemone's old enough to be tried as an adult (which I'm assuming these kids are) but not old enough to make their own (retarded, I admit) sexual decisions the way adults are allowed?  I hope these poor stupid kids don't end up having to register as sex offenders- frankly I'd think that the natural consequences of doing what they did would be punishment enough.

Realistically, the kids should have just been suspended ro expelled from school, had their cell phones taken away, and any adult who had their pics should have been charged (I do agree that's an issue, and a tricky one).  Legal action against the kids for doing (to themselves!) the type of thing you would expect stupid teenagers to do when given the technology and opportunity doesn't really make sense.

Actually, teens should probably not have picture phones in the first place because of shit like this.  FFS.  *headdesk*

[RageBeoulve]

Seriously, if anyone has any examples they wish the share, txt me on +61401618673.

LOL

[Peter]

Realistically, the kids should have just been suspended ro expelled from school, had their cell phones taken away, and any adult who had their pics should have been charged (I do agree that's an issue, and a tricky one).

I think in most places there are clauses allowing for 'accidental possession' of CP, so that people can't be prosecuted just because they unintentionally stumbled across a CP pic online or someone stuffed some CP through their letter box.

[El]

Realistically, the kids should have just been suspended ro expelled from school, had their cell phones taken away, and any adult who had their pics should have been charged (I do agree that's an issue, and a tricky one).

I think in most places there are clauses allowing for 'accidental possession' of CP, so that people can't be prosecuted just because they unintentionally stumbled across a CP pic online or someone stuffed some CP through their letter box.

Or unintentionally turn 18.  I wonder how much worse it will get/how fast for these kids if they have these pictures in their posession before they could be charged as adults, but then age up?  (I'm not saying any of this is appropriate, mind you, but am still pretty far on the side of "they're idiot kids, not criminals, let's not wreck their lives over it.")

[Peter]

Realistically, the kids should have just been suspended ro expelled from school, had their cell phones taken away, and any adult who had their pics should have been charged (I do agree that's an issue, and a tricky one).

I think in most places there are clauses allowing for 'accidental possession' of CP, so that people can't be prosecuted just because they unintentionally stumbled across a CP pic online or someone stuffed some CP through their letter box.

Or unintentionally turn 18.  I wonder how much worse it will get/how fast for these kids if they have these pictures in their posession before they could be charged as adults, but then age up?  (I'm not saying any of this is appropriate, mind you, but am still pretty far on the side of "they're idiot kids, not criminals, let's not wreck their lives over it.")

Maybe in 50 years, historically-inclined people will look back at this and wonder how the people of today could be so stupid, petty, moralistic and vindictive in ruining the lives of these kids over something that really doesn't matter in any significant way, and should never have been anyone else's business in the first place, right before they go off and vote for some cheesy asshole who's promised to ban virtual brothels in Second Life or whatever the moral panic of the day is about. 

The ridiculous nature of past moral panics when viewed in hindsight doesn't seem to have inoculated the general public against starting fresh ones every few years, though thankfully there are some signs that people are starting to tire of the excesses of the current paedo/CP-scare.  Once these things reach a certain level of insanity, reality sometimes steps in and slaps people to their senses, but only after the witches have been burned, the suspected communists imprisoned or driven out of the country, the Jews gassed, the Japs interred, the enemy combatants tortured, everyone and their uncle imprisoned for non-violent drugs offenses and ordinary kids labeled as sex offenders for doing what kids of that age naturally do.

[El]

Clearly it is the will of god that it be so.

[Icequeen]

That's not far from me. 

You'd have to live in this area to understand the mentality behind this , the school my son goes to took a 12 yr old kid out in handcuffs from the middle school lunchroom 10 years back for throwing a tater tot at another kid, a few other students copied him, so they pressed charges on the basis that he instigated a riot & assulted another student.

My son lost it in a fit of anger a week ago and hit another kid that has been picking on him on and off for over 2 years, they sent me an official letter for assualt & battery, but stated that they were waiving charges in this case. He's 9. 

[Parts]

More of these thing around here with the texting.  Also they took a 4th grader out in hand cuffs because of  a fit because the lunch room was too loud