A 39-year-old man from the United Kingdom has been convicted of possessing illegal cartoon drawings of young girls, in school uniforms, engaging in sexual acts. The case is believed to be the UK's first prosecution for illegal manga and animation images
Local media reported that Robul Hoque was sentenced last week to nine months in prison, although the sentence is suspended, provided the defendant does not break the law again.
Police seized Hoque's computer in 2012 and said they found about 400 such images, none of which depicted real people but were illegal nonetheless due to their similarity to child pornography. Hoque initially faced 20 charges of unlawful possession, but was ultimately found guilty of just 10.
The judge of Teesside Crown Court, Tony Briggs said that the photographs were «repulsive».
The prosecutors noted that the defendant was actively searching the Internet for this material.
Όμως ο δικηγόρος του άνδρα υποστήριξε ότι τέτοιες περιπτώσεις θα μπορούσαν να κάνουν εγκληματίες τους fans των manga. «Η υπόθεση αυτή θα πρέπει να χρησιμεύσει ως μια προειδοποίηση προς κάθε manga και anime fan, να είναι προσεκτικοί», δήλωσε ο Richard Bennett. «Φαίνεται ότι υπάρχουν πολλές χιλιάδες άνθρωποι σε αυτή τη χώρα, αν είναι λιγότερο, τότε είναι προσεκτικοί, οι οποίοι μπορεί να βρεθούν σε αυτή τη θέση».
While the prosecution may be the first in the United Kingdom, the US had the first such case in 2009, a prosecution that was concerning for some comic fans.
