According to police in Connecticut, a despicable man was caught red handed for committing a crime against children because of his foolishness.
David Gunn, 41 years old, was arrested for possession of child pornography on Friday at approximately 9:00 a.m., by the members of the New London Police Department’s Investigative Services Division Detective working in conjunction the State of Connecticut Internet Crimes Against Children Task-Force and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
The investigation originated from an earlier arrest after New London Police responded to a pharmacy for a report of a man printing photographs believed to be child pornography on the photo machine.
Gunn was arrested and devices belonging to him were seized.
Further investigation by New London Police Detectives and the execution of search and seizure warrants on electronic devices belonging to Gunn revealed that the suspect was in possession of numerous images of child pornography.
Gunn of 70 Connecticut Avenue, was booked into jail, and his bail has been set at $50,000.
Possession and distribution of child pornography is a sex crime that is punishable under both state and federal laws. This crime typically occurs over the Internet or by downloading files from the Internet that contain illegal images. Since files may be mislabeled, or individuals may be directed to Internet sites that they did not intend to visit, claims of possession of child pornography may be incorrectly made against innocent individuals. For this reason, it is important to understand the elements of child pornography crimes and defenses.
Child pornography is considered to be any depiction of a minor or an individual who appears to be a minor who is engaged in sexual or sexually related conduct. This includes pictures, videos, and computer-generated content. Even altering an image or video so that it appears to be a minor can be considered child pornography. One important exception to the category of illegal child pornography is artistic renderings or depictions that have serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value. For instance, an anatomy book explaining the anatomy of a child would be exempt from a child pornography categorization. Meeting this exemption is difficult, and individuals should generally assume that sexual depictions of minors are illegal.
To be charged with a crime related to child pornography, an individual must knowingly possess, distribute, or receive child pornography. Thus, the crime requires a level of knowledge and intent on the part of the defendant. Accidentally stumbling upon child pornography is not enough to be convicted of a crime. However, since Internet investigators may simply be tracking what computers access child pornography websites or download pornographic materials, it is often difficult for them to ascertain who is intentionally accessing child pornography and when a mistake has occurred. When an individual downloads hundreds of images or repeatedly accesses an illegal website, the intent may be obvious. In more isolated circumstances, however, it can be difficult to determine whether the defendant has actually committed a crime.
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