Yes - not far wrong, I believe.
Aargh - Sun Herald reports:
(full story here:
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/10/02/1096527988118.html?feed=rss )
"Anger as child porn offenders walk free
By Eamonn Duff and Frank Walker
October 3, 2004
The Sun-Herald
A Sun-Herald investigation has confirmed that NSW Police had charged more than 100 people with child pornography related offences in the past four years.
But inadequate legislation and lenient judges allowed all but two to walk back into the community with fines and bonds.
A senior NSW police source said that, based on statistics and case studies involving people who had previously walked free, most offenders charged last week could "reasonably expect" to escape prison if found guilty.
"Approximately seven of the 28 people arrested last week had formerly been charged with child pornography and sex-related offences," the source said.
"And if you look at what has been going on since current legislation was introduced in 1997, it is feasible that most of those charged this week could also walk free . . . which is utterly shameful."......
dlowan wrote:... and lenient judges allowed all but two to walk back into the community with fines and bonds.
Not wanting to slander or libel any Australian judges, but...
Yes.....don't talk to me about some judges on this stuff......
The father of a friend of mine, who was a senior Sydney judge (now retired) - was chatting over dinner with us one night, and the talk turned to this - he said - and the quote is burned into my memory - "But these poor men - these young girls are soooooooo seductive...."
A senior judge in Adelaide was once a lawyer who specialised in representing sex offenders.
One night at dinner, which I attended with my then partner, when this man was still a lwayer, the talk turned to a serial rapist whom he was defending at the time.
As his hand moved under the table to my knees, he said: "What's so bad about what he did? He's just given ten women the time of their lives, or perhaps a couple of minutes of discomfort at worst. Otherwise he's a fine chappy."
Some may be pleased to know that I "accidentally" dropped my knife on his groping hand at that moment........
One has SO much confidence in him as a supreme court judge, no?
I have so many stories....
Lots of judges are very accomplished and fantastic folk, too, though, by the way.
What is this thing about Oz judges, Deb? Always wondered ....
Not sure if it is OZ judges especially....
Not sure if it is a thing about judges.....
Attitudes be attitudes.
I didn't mean ALL judges, Deb .... Just a choice few who make the headlines, I guess .... who make strange judgements, or have strange predilections ...
Lol - well, they are largely conservative upper middle class older men...I suspect they reflect the belief distribution of their gender, age and class....as we all do, en masse, I suspect...
Upper middle class older men don't hold the market on odd predilections, by the way - they may have the money and protection to pursue their hobbies in peace (see Peter Liddy -
http://www.google.com.au/search?hl=en&ie=UTF-8&q=%22Peter+Liddy%22&btnG=Google+Search&meta= ), so get to take them a little further sometimes...(you know, as Shakespeare said in King lear:
"Through tattered clothes small vices do appear.
Robes and furred gowns hide all. Plate sin with gold,
And the strong lance of justice hurtless breaks." )
and all that....but we poor, bare, forked animals are indeed born to oddness as the sparks fly upwards...
I wax oddly poetical, my very own self, it seems...
So money might not buy you love but it can certainly buy protection?
I love this, Deb:
"Through tattered clothes small vices do appear.
Robes and furred gowns hide all. Plate sin with gold,
And the strong lance of justice hurtless breaks." )
and all that....but we poor, bare, forked animals are indeed born to oddness as the sparks fly upwards...
Sorry for the diversion, Deb!
Back to the topic now ....
Child Pornography
I'm encouraged by the words of understanding spoken by dlowan.
It should be noted that the photos of child pornography, however, date back much further than 20 years but, in fact, to even the 1940's and 50's and I can personally attest to that.
As a young boy of 11 (back in 1958-59), I was victimized for over a year and a half by paedophiles and many photos were taken as well. During this period I could not tell anyone because for one I was threatened that if I did there would be serious consequences not just to me but to my family. Furthermore, my family were well known in the community because they were among the city's largest employers and my father was an exceptional athlete. Indeed, our city has a street bearing our family name and my father has been inducted to a sorts Hall of Fame.
Over the years I had managed to project the facade of someone growing up in a well known, well to do, family and had also enjoyed some measure of success for myself in my own career pursuits (and there were many ranging from radio, hotel sales, furniture store, to my successful career in real estate in the 90's.
Until spring of 1998, I had told no one, except my wife, of my well preserved secret.
Regrettably, in late 1996, I had stumbled onto the internet chatrooms and soon became aware of the gallery of child pornography photos. Given my own secret experience, I set about to see if my photos might just be among the hundreds of similar photos. I became obsessed with finding them but to no avail. I did all I could to pursue them short of trading or buying them and as a result, I was sought out and charged with possession of child pornography.
Because of my community profile and that of my family, this provided the local newspaper with just the right amount of sensational fodder to boost their sales. Additionally, it was the first real charges laid to date for such an offence.
Upon the media going public and the police eagerness to exploit the offence I was driven into an indescribable state of hell and immediately entered into an emergency psychiatric facility.
While newspapers trumpeted the police's success in capturing the community's first paedophile, my parents and siblings, spouse and two daughters, good friends, business colleagues and associates, of today and days gone by, were stunned with the revelations. Many stood back in horror, many in disgust including a sibling, and eventually my parents.
There I was, not just wrongly accused but, in truth, and untold, actually of the polar opposite!
Just as suddenly other issues arose. My real estate broker quickly dismissed me, the real estate board quickly recalled my license, legal fees loomed large, as did continuing living expenses and all while I was
abruptly unemployed and in thrust into a state of mind I'd never visited before.
My logic suggested that surely this will go nowhere as all I'd done was to look at pictures. I hadn't bought, sold, traded, distributed, and certainly not produced, these photos nor had I, at any time in my life, ever abused or molested a child. It wasn't in me to do that to anyone or anything!
Most certainly I could not refute the evidence as I had definitely been in possession of the materials collected through my search.
I simply couldn't tolerate even the thought of revealing my secret and it's true motivation for my search.
I wasn't of the mind to subject myself, my wife and daughters, my parents and siblings, anyone, to the rigors of a trial wherein it was a certainty that I would be further portrayed, publicly, as some kind of a monster, further supported as such as they made the evidentiary photos, for which I truly had no responsibility for, other than that of downloading them to see if I was indeed in them!
Worse yet, I was without the financial capacity to fund my defence nor to fend off the public opinion for the expected 9-12 months before even a preliminary hearing, let alone a trial.
No, I could do but one thing and that was to attempt to end it as soon as possible and, despite being otherwise, I chose to plead guilty to the charge!
After having done so, I was encouraged by my psychiatrist to tell all and relieve my burden of so many years, at the sentencing hearing, which I did.
I was sentenced to serve 6 months "in the community", 200 hours of community service, to continue with pyschiatric counselling, to enroll in a male victims of sexual abuse program, to stay off my computer and the internet and lastly, to report regularly to my probation officer, over the period of sentence.
The next week my psychiatrist advised me he was moving away at month's end and would try to have me placed with another for continuing assistance. I did not hear from him again.
My probation officer directed me to engage in 200 hours working with a non-profit child care organization for whom I was to do computer work after which I never saw nor heard from her again.
There wasn't, and to this day still isn't, a program to assist male victims of sexual abuse in our community, for me to enroll in as directed to do so.
It was as though once the show was over, the theatre went dark and you were left to find your way to the exit door, by yourself, in deep black darkness.
The day after my sentence was over, I declared personal bankruptcy.
It's now been 6 years, my dearest sister has died, I am no longer speaking with my mother and three siblings. My father is in a nursing home with dementia and happily remembers little but the distant past.
Few people were unaware of my situation and employment was not to be had unless of course it was manual labour in some remote field I'm certain.
Ironically, I now operate an internet business through which I'm relatively unknown and obscure and someday hope, though it hasn't yet, will provide an income.
Through it all, my wife and daughters have stood by me, as did a "handful" of friends and some new found supporters who may have more to tell of their past but leave it untold as I once did.
How do I feel about those who victimized me? I suppose they gave me the treatment they'd had themselves in their youth. You see, the cycle is the big problem. Those in the cycle keep right on tormenting. Those of us who have broken the cycle, keep right on suffering!
As for society? I'm sure it must be better off with the proceeds of the price I've paid. At least, isn't that what justice is all about? Righting society's wrongs by punishing those who commit the offence.
It is truly blind, after all!
That is a very sad story, rich4short - I hope things go better in your life.
