Huw Edwards - receiving pics is a crime?

[PurpleMat]

Looking at the details in the Huw Edwards case, someone else sent him all these pics of underage children. And that is enough for him to be totally screwed and most likely going to prison. I've no idea if it makes a difference if you ask for them to be sent or not?

My DC are approaching secondary age when most of their peers will be getting mobile phones, and I am seriously worried about what kind of pictures of could be floating about on WhatsApp. It only takes one kid to be sent something dodgy by an older relative and it could be forwarded on to hundreds of others.

If one of my DC receives an unsolicited image and it is discovered (for example by the school confiscating a phone, which I'm lead to believe happens quite often) is that my DC totally screwed?

What exactly is the law on this?

I'm seriously thinking smartphones with WhatsApp for young teens are a bad idea at this point...

A completely innocent person who receives such an image shouldnt be criminally responsible. In HE case he was clearly of that mindset and just got sent images he apparently didn’t want but he was getting others too.

If a teenager or anyone for that matter (I sometimes gets random WhatsApp messages from scammers just rubbish not anything awful obv) gets such an image surely you just report it and by doing so you’re being honest and letting authorities know and if they need to they can check phone history ? This would worry me too about potential blackmail fraud - send an image then threaten unless the recipient pays ?

The thing is, would you panic about reporting it if you received an image? You may think k that just because you've simply received an image that you have broken the law and therfore not want to report it. I don't know, I've never been in that position.

I think there needs to be clarity about what to do and a public information campaign.

That's what the defence says about Huw's involvement. It is the defence's role to minimise Huw's actions for a lenient outcome, the best outcome possible for their client. It also reduces the heat off BBC to have it put out there that he 'simply received' pics. He is not a sweet ol' naive man, he is aware and tech savvy enough to know better. I'm really annoyed at how the media is parroting defence's claims because the public will hear that and take it as gospel when it's probably just the defence being selective and conveniently skirting over the offences and the BBC cherry picking the best, least problematic representation of the case. Huw would have never been advised to plead guilty if the defence didn't think he was in trouble and it's now damage control for him and the BBC.

It's disgusting because the repercussions are that people are softer of Paedophiles but I hope it makes people more inclined to take any images shared as a joke more seriously and report.

It isnt just your teenagers you should be concerned about - what sort of porn do your husbands watch and what images are they sent?

But if you did that you could be prosecuted. That's the issue OP has raised.

The main point to emphasise to teenagers is that taking, sending or soliciting indecent images under 18 is a serious criminal offence. Receiving unsolicited images is akin to finding a gun in your front garden. It's capable of amounting to a criminal offence of possession but obviously if you take swift and appropriate action police and prosecution are hardly likely to initiate criminal proceedings. There is a very strong public interest in emphasising the seriousness of coming into possession of images of child sexual abuse.

Yes I agree so that everyone is clear what to do with an out of the blue unwanted image of this nature , to know it can be reported and they aren’t going to be in trouble

Get where you're coming from - I think the bigger worry is the risk of your child being exposed to images of abuse. That's really disturbing and tbh the conversation so they know it's a criminal offence and needs to be reported to the police - that would probably be quite a reassuring one rather than thinking this type of thing is normal or okay.
Agree with you about smartphones if there's a risk of content as disturbing as that being circulated.

The female officer lost her job because she was sent the image and did not report it.

as a police officer she has an obligation and not reporting it was the issue.

Both of my kids have had extensive talks in school regarding the sending or receiving of sexually explicit or nude images. They both know it is a criminal offence. They’ve had police offers come into the school. I think it must be in the curriculum now because they are at different schools. Anyway, they know the law better than me

Up until reading this thread is have assumed you just delete and forget it now I know it needs reporting I had no idea simply receiving one was a crime

He's 62 not 102!

There were more than 100 pics iirc and he engaged with the sender, he didn't accidentally get charged because someone sent him a suspect photo.

If a teenager is old enough to have a phone with internet access then they are old enough to understand the implications of receiving images and how important it is to immediately report to a parent/adult and then to the police. The images in this case were level one - sex with a child under 7. The age of criminal responsibility in this country is 10. all parents need to be discussing these and other issues with their kids from 8/9 onwards.

Presumably reporting would come with an investigation into your phone/computer contents and porn habits which would be off putting to most. Plus you would risk a sex offenders record, have to disclose conviction to employer, be barred from certain jobs all because you received something you didn't ask for.

But I’d you see someone being assaulted and you don’t report it… it’s not a criminal offence which is going to land you in jail which is the difference. Morally obviously if report it. I have to say the whole law around this needs to be strongly clarified and ironed out.

Just to be clear to all the people saying
"well if I recieved a picture like this I would go straight to the police, it's obvious isn't it?"

I am not talking about what adults would do, I am talking about what a young teen, or 11/12 year old would do.

All the PHSE lessons in the world will probably not be enough to get the message through. It sounds like (from this thread) that the vast majority of young kids would just delete the image and not tell anyone, which sounds like the worst thing to do. But this is what kids are like, they don't think like adults do they?

I'm sorry, but what a really weird thing to say.

Even if it were the case that the police/CPS chose not to prosecute somebody sending a video of themself, as a child, having sex (that is what Category A is) there is so much bullying that goes on.

A video like that would be shared amongst the friendship group of the receiver and quite likely much wider as well.

You really do need to worry if your teenage child is sending out sex videos of themself.

Yes that’s right. She sent her sister a WTF message but did not report her. The sister sent it in a stupid “oh my God look what some perv just sent me” sort of a way.

@PurpleMat no kids dont think like adults but similarly many adults just leave this sort of education up to other adults/the school and really they shouldnt. You presumably have conversations with your children about what to do if someone flashes them or asks them to show their knickers? its all part of that same conversation. and it needs to all happen before they start senior school.

It's been a really eye opening thread as I was unaware of some of this! And I will definitely be talking it through with my son. We recently got a smart phone for him for secondary school but I'm now wondering if whatsapp is a terrible idea. I was always going to monitor it closely (you can add it into your computer and see everything from there) but I do wonder if it's even worth the hassle and just not allowing it. Also rethinking Discord. The shame is that this is the way he keeps in touch with his school friends and it seems there is no great safe alternative as most of them only use Discord and Whatsapp to communicate!

We teach about this a lot in schools. I have known children (under 16 over 11) have their phones confiscated by the police and a very very serious warning about the dangers of sexting.

Having an image on your phone of an underage child in any state of undress is dangerous. If one is sent to you, you delete it. That's what we tell them.

The sex offenders register doesn't distinguish between individual cases. You can be out on that list for having these images in your phone.

What we tend to tell our student is: would you be happy for that picture you just sent to be on a billboard in town? Because this is the equivalent. Everyone will see it.

https://www.derbytelegraph.co.uk/news/local-news/ashamed-derbyshire-granddad-horrible-child-4704711

I came across this story here. An old man in Derbyshire had some images on a memory stick and a laptop. Five years older than Edwards and escaped prison because of having a pacemaker and IBS allegedly. He knew what he was doing, saving them. Age is irrelevant. Would someone have them on their phone and not download elsewhere? He was only disgusted because he got caught. I hope it is OK posting this. It is out there in the news after all.

If you receive an image and report it without even opening it that is a crime. It’s logged as a crime until it is investigated.

A child sending images of themselves is a crime. That is logged as a crime and a victim. Once again, until it is investigated.

I’ve just asked DH who is police.

How do you know what it is if you haven't opened it?