A Diego Martin man is on the run after he was discovered to be the person involved in video sexually assaulting a child.
The video, which has been circulating on social media in recent days, was initially believed to have been filmed in Jamaica but was yesterday confirmed by police to be a local recording.
The grandparent of the child and a close female relative made a report to the Four Roads Police Station on Wednesday night after seeing the video. The video is currently engaging members of the Police Service and the Children’s Authority.
Meanwhile, the T&T Police Service and the Children’s Authority are strongly urging the public to desist from posting pornographic material involving children on social media.
A media release from the TTPS yesterday said: “To engage in the distribution or circulation of sexually graphic or explicit material involving minors constitutes an offence under section 40 (1) of the Children Act. The Act states inter alia, “any person who knowingly publishes, distributes, transmits or shows any child pornography; obtains access, through information and communication technology, to child pornography; has in his possession or control any pornography; purchases, exchanges or otherwise receives any child pornography, commits an offence and is liable on conviction on indictment, to a fine of $30,000 and to imprisonment for ten years.”
The release added that under Section 40 (2) of the Act, also states, “a person knowingly distributes child pornography, if he knowingly (a) offers; or (b) transmits by any means including post, courier, electronic means or facsimile, child pornography to another person.”
The TTPS also warned that for the purposes of the law, it matters not from where the offending material originates.
“Should a member of the public come into possession of graphic material involving children, said material must to be brought to the attention of the police, for the initiation of an appropriate investigation,” the release said.
The Children’s Authority also said it welcomes the public’s efforts to highlight cases of child abuse, but advised the public to refrain from sharing posts that reveal children’s faces and identity via the internet, since this can cause further trauma to the child. The authority said all videos regarding child protection concerns should be sent to [email protected] or [email protected] or a report can be made to our hotlines at 996 or 800-2014.