In the legal system

It appears there are a small number of us here who are currently working our way through the legal system. Mostly for the UK guys out there, though I'm sure our American cousins experiences would be equally supportive, I thought it might be good to have a single thread for us to congregate in and help each other through what's to come.

So I thought a good starting point might be a quick hands up on whose currently in the system, where about in the system are you? Just arrested, on bail, awaiting trial? And a brief description of what got you to this place.

So, I'll start...

I've been arrested and am currently on bail pending police investigation. The police have been given the password to my encrypted drive and I'm expected to answer the bail just after Christmas. At the moment I am waiting for an appointment for a one to one interview to get on the Inform Plus program.

I'll be pleading guilty to making (downloading) and viewing a few hundred images and movies of boys of various ages, including a small number at the more severe end of the scale.

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(1 week and 1 day since last relapse)

Similar to you, I'm on bail until March 4th. Making, possessing, distributing. Not sure how many images they will find, I know I had about a thousand or so files but I used to delete a lot of stuff that I really didn't want (any pain/sadism stuff) but I expect there will be a lot more when they go thorugh all the stuff I deleted, which was a lot. And there was one other which I forget, something like enticing a child to engage in a sexual activity or something (I used a instagram profile to talk to girls and some sent me pictures). I will plead guilty to them all, I think. Not sure about the ins and outs of the last one as they only ever posed (not interested in masturbation). I'm certainly resigned to a prison sentence and have made my peace with that, I just hope it's no more than a year or two. I would advise anyone who does get caught to take the opportunity of having a solicitor on first interview. I foolishly didn't bother and I imagine the last 2 offences might have been avoided if I did, and those will likely be the most serious charges. I'm currently awaiting a place on the Stop It Now scheme and am due to call them on the 15th regarding this. I have no money so I'm not sure if they will be able to accommodate me, but I want to make it clear I am doing something for when the case comes up in court.

hatemyself35 wrote: I would advise anyone who does get caught to take the opportunity of having a solicitor on first interview. I foolishly didn't bother and I imagine the last 2 offences might have been avoided if I did, and those will likely be the most serious charges.

When I was arrested, in the back of the police car to the station, I made peace with myself to help them fully. I was ready to answer all their questions there and then. However, I also had a fair idea how much $#%^ I was in so I knew I had to exercise my legal rights and ask the custody sergeant for the duty solicitor. I'm half pleased I did. He advised me to answer 'no comment' to all their questions and leave them to investigate the alleged offences before opening up. About 45 minutes of 'no comment' became quiet python-esque and I only hope the video of the interview didn't catch me trying to suppress a smile each time I said it. At one point I was told off for interrupting a question with 'no comment' instead of waiting for the question to be asked in full first - oops.

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(1 week and 1 day since last relapse)

I'm still debating whether to plead guilty to the distributing. I'm not sure they would be able to prove it. Perhaps they will be happy to charge me on just the possession and making, but I'll wait to speak to my lawyer about that.

I suppose the answer to that has to do with the question that has been going around my mind. How did I get caught?

I know I was sloppy, there are a few possibilities that even at the time had I not been lazy I could have made some efforts to circumvent.

Towards the end my growing desire for more lead me back to peer to peer file sharing software. I reckon I downloaded a file they were sharing thus giving up my IP address. I did everything the software would let me to turn off uploading or communication, so I could only download.

If you did something similar and they downloaded files you were sharing then I'd guess they'd have their evidence. No offence, but in some ways I think you having the images solely to trade is worse than viewing and trading.

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(1 week and 1 day since last relapse)

I agree, but from a legal point of view I believe distributing is seen as more serious.

If you'll welcome the view of a non-offender, the charge of "making" in the UK is a joke.

Arrested.

Bailed.

Charged.

Magistrates court.

Crown court.

SOTP.

All completed lol sounds like a list of chores.

Still under supervision with PO.

Still a few years to go registering on the SO register.

Barred from working with Children for life on the DBS list.

So yeah what a journey lol

An example that there is a way through this mess we've got ourselves in! I'm sure I've seen posts from one or two others suggesting they are currently in the system. @cumulusjames? or @spott1207?

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(2 weeks and 2 days since last relapse)

I didn't view paedophilia. Most things I viewed were legal here until 2003. This stuff smacks of structural homophobia to me.

I'm one of the first gays into twinks to be caught up in this mess.

When you piss off the gays you start a battle you can't win. The patriarchy should know this by now.