Man admits child pornography charges, asks for help

A man has asked the courts for help in overcoming his addiction to child pornography, after a large amount of child-related pornographic material was found on his computer.

44-year-old Kevin Mifsud from Siggiewi was arraigned by Inspectors Joseph Busuttil and Paula Ciantar this morning, accused of downloading a collection of images and videos depicting underage persons in sexual circumstances onto his personal computer.

The police, acting on an anonymous tip off, had examined the man’s computer and found the material. The subjects of the videos are not Maltese and had been downloaded from porn sites on the internet.

Mifsud was charged with the possession and sharing of child pornography.

Lawyers Franco Debono and Marion Camilleri entered a guilty plea on the man’s behalf. They told the court that the crimes were rooted in a serious psychological problem and asked that it provide him with the necessary assistance to overcome it. The prosecution confirmed that the man had also asked it for help to treat his condition.

Magistrate Rachel Montebello, having heard the guilty plea be confirmed by the accused, sentenced him to two years in prison, suspended for four years, together with a treatment order which would provide the man with compulsory counselling, psychotherapy and other medical assistance.

The court also ordered the confiscation and destruction of the pornography.