Man jailed for sharing indecent images of children via social media

A man from Luton has been jailed for more than two years after he was found to have shared a number of indecent images of children via social media.

Shahed Miah, 50, was arrested during a search warrant at his home address after officers received information that he had been sharing indecent images of children via Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp.

During the search, 14 devices were seized, with one found to be hidden in a pile of clothing, after Miah had claimed it was at his workplace.

Three of the devices were found to have a total of 187 indecent images of children, ranging from the highest Category A to Category C, as well as one prohibited image and 12 extreme pornographic images.

A forensic examination of one of the devices found a number of Facebook message streams and WhatsApp messages which showed that further images, including bestiality-related images, had been shared.

At a court hearing in July, Miah, of Warwick Road West, Luton, pleaded guilty to three counts of making indecent images of children, three counts of distributing indecent images of children, one count of possessing an extreme pornographic image, and one count of possessing a prohibited image of a child.

He was sentenced to a total of two years two months in prison, as well as being subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for five years upon his release.

Investigation Officer Michela Zasada, from Bedfordshire Police's Internet Child Abuse Investigation Team (ICAIT), said: "I'm pleased that Miah received a custodial sentence for his offending.

"He came up with a number of excuses as to how it wasn't him; from claiming the images were often sent to him after he had argued with someone about politics online, or that someone else must have shared them when he left his phone on his desk at work.

"The viewing of indecent images is far from a victimless crime, as real children have been harmed in the making of the images and they are further exploited every time the images are shared."