News
Australian Sentenced for Cartoon Child Pornography
posted on by Crystalyn Hodgkins
The Queensland Times newspaper reported on January 26 that 28-year-old Kurt James Milner of Leichhardt, Australia stood trial for possession of 64 sexually explicit images of child characters from The Simpsons and The Powerpuff Girls animated television series, as well as The Incredibles animated movie.
Milner pleaded guilty to charges of child exploitation material and using a carriage service to access the material. He was sentenced to 12 months in jail but the sentence was wholly suspended for five years. Milner was also given a AU$1,000 (about US$900) good behavior bond for five years. A conviction was recorded, and Milner is now a registered sex offender.
According to The Queensland Times, the sentence was harsh because Milner had previously been convicted in 2003 of possessing 59 sexual images of actual children on his computer. At that time, Milner was sentenced to two years probation, and no conviction was recorded.
This is not the first time an Australian citizen was punished for possessing cartoon child pornography. In 2008 an appeal was denied for a man who was convicted of possessing child pornography and accessing child pornography on his computer. In this case as well the materials depicted pictures of child characters from The Simpsons engaging in sexual acts. In that case, the man received a AU$3,000 (US$2,600) fine and two years of court supervision.
The Australian government is currently proposing legislation that will require all Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to filter overseas websites that contain "Refused Classification" content. "Refused Classification" content is defined as: "child sexual abuse imagery, bestiality, sexual violence, detailed instruction in crime, violence or drug use and/or material that advocates the doing of a terrorist act."
Source: The Queenland Times via Icarus Publishing, Ars Technica
