Australian citizen arrested on charges of child pornography and trafficking imposed pre-trial detention
Australian citizen arrested on charges of child pornography and trafficking imposed pre-trial detention

An Australian citizen arrested on charges of child pornography and trafficking has been imposed the pre-trial detention. The verdict was announced by the judge of Tbilisi City Court Arsen Kalatozishvili.

According to Mariam Gogoreliani, prosecutor of the child pornography case, pornographic photos and videos were taken in the house of the arrested Australian citizen. The Australian citizen was also the one who was selling the materials.

“The Australian citizen is charged with both producing and distributing juvenile pornographic materials and child trafficking. The criminal case contains evidence proving the alleged criminal act”, the prosecutor said. As for the defendant, according to his lawyer, he uses the right to silence.

On September 19, officers of the Central Criminal Police Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia, General Prosecutors` Office, Europol and officers of the law enforcement agencies of the United States of America and Australia as a result of jointly held intensive operative-investigative activities revealed the network involved in minors trafficking and production-distribution of materials containing pornography of minors.

Consequently, 11 members of the organized criminal group were detained. The detainees include parents of minors, their relatives and acquaintances, as well as the owners and employees of the illegal photo salon.

The investigation revealed that the detained citizens of the USA and Australia, assisted by Georgian accomplices, conspiratorially arranged photo salons in rented apartments located in Tbilisi and manufactured pornographic images of minors for realization abroad.

The crime committed envisages the imprisonment from 17 to 20 years or life imprisonment.