A MALAYSIAN Airlines co-pilot has been convicted and fined for bringing child pornography into the country on his personal computer.
Ahmad Said appeared handcuffed in Adelaide Magistrates Court today on a charge of importing a prohibited item.
Customs officers arrested the 25-year old at Adelaide International Airport yesterday, after finding three video files containing child pornography.
The videos were titled ``Reped (sic) Virgin'', ``10-Year Old'' and ``High School Students.''
``This material is repugnant and abhorrent - any decent minded person would be so affected by it,'' Magistrate Simon Smart said.
Mr Smart said the rape scene featured a crying girl aged under 18 being forced to have sex with an older male.
``These are not victimless crimes - for every video that depicts such a scene there is a victim,'' he said.
Said's computer was searched after he flew into Adelaide as co-pilot on a Malaysian Airlines flight from Kuala Lumpur.
His lawyer Stephen Barratt said Said had been e-mailed the video files and had not shown anyone else.
``He was simply reckless, this was not material brought in to be disseminated,'' Mr Barratt said.
Mr Smart rejected the defence assertion that Said had ``no interest'' in the pornography, saying there would be no market for such images without people like him.
Mr Barratt said the conviction could ruin Said's career as a pilot at Malaysian Airlines after rising rapidly through the ranks in the past few years.
``The result of this conviction ... could alter the whole of his life and his family,'' Mr Barratt said.
Mr Barratt said Said's arrest and detention in custody for almost 24 hours was ``fairly harsh.''
``He has suffered from being kept overnight in custody and now sits before the court manacled, which he describes to me as one of the lowest points of his life,'' Mr Barratt said.
Magistrate Smart fined Said $5,000 and ordered that his laptop be forfeited to the Crown.
ANDREW DOWDELL, COURT REPORTER
Adelaide Now
Ahmad Said appeared handcuffed in Adelaide Magistrates Court today on a charge of importing a prohibited item.
Customs officers arrested the 25-year old at Adelaide International Airport yesterday, after finding three video files containing child pornography.
The videos were titled ``Reped (sic) Virgin'', ``10-Year Old'' and ``High School Students.''
``This material is repugnant and abhorrent - any decent minded person would be so affected by it,'' Magistrate Simon Smart said.
Mr Smart said the rape scene featured a crying girl aged under 18 being forced to have sex with an older male.
``These are not victimless crimes - for every video that depicts such a scene there is a victim,'' he said.
Said's computer was searched after he flew into Adelaide as co-pilot on a Malaysian Airlines flight from Kuala Lumpur.
His lawyer Stephen Barratt said Said had been e-mailed the video files and had not shown anyone else.
``He was simply reckless, this was not material brought in to be disseminated,'' Mr Barratt said.
Mr Smart rejected the defence assertion that Said had ``no interest'' in the pornography, saying there would be no market for such images without people like him.
Mr Barratt said the conviction could ruin Said's career as a pilot at Malaysian Airlines after rising rapidly through the ranks in the past few years.
``The result of this conviction ... could alter the whole of his life and his family,'' Mr Barratt said.
Mr Barratt said Said's arrest and detention in custody for almost 24 hours was ``fairly harsh.''
``He has suffered from being kept overnight in custody and now sits before the court manacled, which he describes to me as one of the lowest points of his life,'' Mr Barratt said.
Magistrate Smart fined Said $5,000 and ordered that his laptop be forfeited to the Crown.
ANDREW DOWDELL, COURT REPORTER
Adelaide Now
No comments:
Post a Comment