A 42-year-old resident of Lviv has been served with a notice of suspicion for receiving, storing and distributing child pornography using the Telegram messenger. This was reported under the procedural guidance of the Lviv Regional Prosecutor’s Office.
According to the investigation, in September last year, while corresponding with another Telegram user, the man received two video files containing prohibited content, which he stored in the memory of his own smartphone. Later, he gained access to several more files containing child pornography and stored them in the messenger’s cloud storage.
Law enforcement officers documented that in June and July this year the suspect distributed five files to other Telegram users which contained indications of sexual violence against children. In September this year his unlawful activities were stopped, the man was detained, and during investigative actions electronic data carriers containing a significant volume of prohibited media materials were seized.
An expert examination confirmed that the seized and distributed files fall into the categories of “pornography” and “child pornography”. The man has been notified of suspicion under Parts 1, 3 and 4 of Article 301-1 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine – for receiving and storing child pornography without the intent to sell, using information and telecommunication systems and technologies, as well as for its repeated distribution.
At the request of the prosecution, a preventive measure in the form of detention in custody with the right to bail has been imposed on the suspect. The pre-trial investigation is being conducted by the Main Department of the National Police in Lviv Region, with operational support provided by the Migration Police Department of the Main Department of the National Police in Lviv Region.
Pursuant to Article 62 of the Constitution of Ukraine, a person is presumed innocent of committing a crime and may not be subjected to criminal punishment until his or her guilt has been proven in accordance with the law and established by a guilty verdict of a court.