Distributing Indecent Images

Allegations of this nature will not only have a devastating impact on your reputation, but these may also affect your employment and financial circumstances. We expect you will be very stressed, constantly worried and feel anxious. We can understand your fear of the media and the implications of public knowledge.

Those who are accused sometimes have to suffer from having the social services involved in gaining access to their own children. There is also the fact that the stigma of committing a criminal offence, can be hard to handle.

We know how traumatic this can be. This is a situation that can affect your wellbeing and those of others around you. Our firm does not judge, we work only to obtain the best possible outcome of any legal matter. Our trustworthy team understand the importance of diplomatic but tenacious representation and will guide you through the process, ensuring you have the knowledge and understanding you require.

Taking images of children that are indecent, or sexual, showing them, distributing them or publishing them are all illegal acts for which you can be imprisoned.

These cases can cause sleepless nights, anxiety and horror.

We understand the need for you and your family to be advised and informed on how court proceedings work and that such procedures may be unfamiliar to you.

It’s crucial to engage with a competent indecent images solicitor as early as possible in the allegations.

We have put together some questions and answers to provide you with guidance and support. We aim to make this easier for you and to provide you with the information that you need to take your first step in protecting yourself.

If you have a question that you cannot find an answer to here, contact us and we will do all that we can to provide you with information.

Have you been arrested or charged with Distributing Indecent Images?

If you or somebody close to you has been arrested or charged in connection with a distributing indecent images case, there’s no doubt that you will probably be feeling very stressed, confused, worried and concerned about what’s going to happen.

In some cases, the charge is not based on fact but purely on allegations. However, whatever your circumstances it can be very stressful as you wonder who will find out and how this will affect your day to day life. You will be concerned about how friends, family and colleagues will think of you.

What happens in a Distributing Indecent Images Investigation?

In every case of a distributing indecent images offence, the circumstances are different. However, it’s absolutely vital that you seek legal advice to support you and guide you. You need to engage experienced lawyers who can provide you with the expertise and guidance to handle the investigation process. The process can be complicated and lengthy. It’s crucial that you engage legal professionals who have experience in defending indecent images cases and whom you can speak to in the strictest confidence.

You’ll typically discover that you’re being investigated for the distribution of indecent images offences when you get a knock on the door from the police. The police may invite you to the police station for an interview. You have a right to consult a lawyer and the right to attend the interview with someone else.

You may have been falsely accused of Distributing indecent images

Please also note that in many cases, people are wrongly accused of the act of distributing indecent images. If you feel this is you, there are many reasons why you may have had false claims made about you. In some cases, it’s malicious and in others, it could be somebody who is seeking a financial payment.  You may even have lent your computer to somebody and they downloaded, produced or distributed the indecent images using your equipment.

Without a lawyer, you cannot find out more until the interview

You’re very unlikely to be told why you’re being investigated or any other details about your distributing indecent images offence case until you are at the police interview and in a situation where you can be questioned.

Your police interview will be recorded so that any evidence can be played in court.

However, you have the right to access legal advice. It’s essential to hire an experienced and competent distributing indecent images solicitor to support you and provide you with guidance about how best to handle the case. Once you have engaged a solicitor, they will examine your situation and what’s known about it and then will create a strong defence.

Instruct a legal professional as soon as possible

If you are being investigated or you have been charged, it is imperative that you seek early advice and guidance to protect your position. The best approach to take now is to engage a legal professional who has experience of building a defence for sexual offences, distributing indecent images and child pornography cases.

What should you do if you get arrested or charged with Distributing Indecent Images Offences?

Distributing indecent images and sexual offences are covered by an area of law that can be complicated. It’s also an area of law that can have a devastating effect on the lives of anybody who is involved – accused and accuser.

It’s recommended that the first action you take is to hire an indecent images solicitor to help you. Not only will you gain access to the most current laws and defence strategies, but you will be given supportive guidance to get you through this challenging time in your life.

You’ll be supported throughout the entire process and a competent lawyer will ensure that you get the best possible outcome.

Can the police search my home?

What many people find difficult is that along with interviewing you, it is likely that a search warrant has been issued so that the law enforcement officers can make a thorough investigation. This includes your home, smartphone, tablet, computer plus any data containers such as hard drives.

During the search, your emails and social media accounts will be examined for evidence.

Could you go to prison for Distributing Indecent Images?

The act of distributing indecent images is a serious crime. Whether you will need to spend time inside a prison will depend on the exact nature of the offence and how well you are defended in court.

If you are convicted of the distributing indecent images offence, it is possible that you’ll be handed a sentence of imprisonment as punishment. By taking the right steps, it may be possible to have your case dismissed before it reaches the point of being a trial in court.

We handle indecent images cases regularly and have deep expertise in this field. We can help you by recommending the best course of action to take to mitigate the outcome. No matter what size your case is, get in touch.

What type of sentence could you get for Distributing Indecent Images?

Depending on what you are convicted of, your name may be added to the sex offenders register. Prison sentences can range from 3 months up to 10 years.

If you engage an indecent images solicitor with deep experience and knowledge of this area of the law, they will advise you of the typical sentence and the likelihood of a conviction.

Read more about possible sentences for Distribution of Indecent Images offences.

Does a conviction for Distributing Indecent Images go on your criminal record?

If your distributing indecent images case is heard in court and you are convicted of the crime, your conviction will be recorded on your CRB / police record.

The period of the endorsement will depend on the nature and length of the sentence imposed on you.

In addition, your name will be added to the ‘sex offenders register’ and you will be subjected to ‘notification requirements’.

How Can Stuart Miller Solicitors Help?

Stuart Miller Solicitors have a specialist team of indecent images solicitors who specialise in defending those accused of distributing indecent images. We are flawlessly trained to understand the most complex of cases which predominately centre around the use of technology. We have represented countless individuals who have been accused of distributing indecent images and are renowned for our tireless effort and dedication.

If you have been accused of distributing indecent images instructing our expert indecent images solicitors should be a priority. The advice you receive prior to being interviewed by the police can have a far-reaching impact on any subsequent trial. Our indecent images solicitors are on hand to guide you through what can be a painstaking process for yourself and those close to you. Once instructed by you we will put pressure on the investigators to ensure they fulfil their duties of investigating expeditiously. The earlier in the process we are instructed, the more effective our representation will be.

What we will do

Our case predation is based on a solid foundation of knowledge and understanding of the law. Our extensive experience in defending people accused of distributing indecent images empowers us with the ability to be one step ahead of the police and prosecuting authorities.

We will work together with you and the industry’s leading forensic experts to challenge the prosecution’s case and to present your defence at its best. The forensic experts we instruct have extensive knowledge of peer-to-peer file sharing networks which frequently feature in cases of this nature. They have the ability to carefully analyse seized devices and assess the images in question to ensure they have been placed into the correct categories by the police.

The indecent images in question will be categorised into an A, B or C image – depending on the nature of the image or video. In order to prove the offence of distributing indecent images, the prosecution must demonstrate you had custody and control of an indecent image or video. They must then prove this image or video has parted your possession or you have offered it, shown it to another, or exposed it to another for their possession. There are statutory defences available to this allegation, one of which is if you had not seen the photograph or video and had no cause to suspect them to be indecent.

Each case involving the distribution of indecent images is different and can carry a term of imprisonment for up to 10 years. It is therefore essential you seek legal advice very early in the case and allow specialist indecent images solicitors to tailor a defence strategy to your specific circumstances.

How we can help

If you believe someone else has used your device, they are able to check which websites were running simultaneously at the time of the download to see if the user can be identified. Our indecent images solicitors will believe in your case and ensure all realms of possibility are explored when defending your case. We will never accept the prosecution’s case at face value. We will seek out weaknesses in their case, we will challenge illegally obtained evidence and try to kick out inadmissible evidence. If any of the charges cannot be proved by law, we will apply for those charges to be dismissed.

Book a free consultation with an Indecent Images Expert

Due to the sensitive nature of our sexual offences cases, we publish very limited information about them on our website.

Our team are very competent and can support you in any sexual offences that you may be accused of. It’s critical that you engage a solicitor who has deep experience and knowledge of the laws. Being sensitive and considerate of the nature of the cases that we handle is also an important goal for us.

Would you like to discuss your case before instructing us?

If you’d like to have a no obligation chat with us before you instruct us to take your case, then call us today.

In addition to giving you a free consultation, we can also represent you at the police station if you’ve been arrested. We can look at securing your legal aid.

Please contact us and ask to speak to our indecent images solicitors to arrange a meeting in person, online or by telephone. If you prefer, you can WhatsApp us from the link you will find on this page.