A JUDGE has called for the reform of child pornography laws after jailing a man for possessing more than 35,000 images of "the most disturbing and depraved kind", including the torture and abuse of babies and bestiality.Nigel Keith Saddler, 35, pleaded guilty to three charges of possessing child pornography after he was caught with a vast collection of material considered the most serious of its kind.
NSW District Court judge Peter Berman said harsh sentences were needed to reduce demand and express the community's "horror". "The callousness and inhumanity of a person who could get pleasure out of viewing such images is beyond comprehension," he said.
But during sentencing on Friday, Justice Berman raised concerns about "inadequate" child pornography laws, saying they did not reflect the gravity of Saddler's offending. He said people who had thousands of images did not face a charge in relation to each item, meaning Saddler was being sentenced on three charges that covered thousands of images and videos. The three charges related to the locations where the child pornography was found.
He said offenders should not be able to take advantage of computer advances, such as storage capacity, to face single charges over multiple items. "I am not suggesting that it would be in any way appropriate to lay thousands of charges, one relating to each item of child pornography," Justice Berman said. "But items could be grouped according to when they were downloaded, whether they were still images or moving pictures, the nature of the sexual activity depicted and so on."
Saddler sat with his head bowed as Justice Berman detailed the list of videos and photographs found in his possession. Saddler admitted having 35,508 still images, 687 movies and 77 archived photos. Some depicted the "gross abuse" of children, including the infliction of pain on children younger than 12 months.
"It has to be recognised that the actions of people like this offender create a demand for material of this horrifying type," Justice Berman said.
A spokesman for NSW Attorney-General John Hatzistergos said the penalty for possession of child pornography was more than doubled in 2005. He said Mr Hatzistergos had also asked the Sentencing Council to review penalties for sexual assault offences, particularly child pornography.
Justice Berman sentenced Saddler to six years behind bars, with a non-parole period of four years and six months.