Man Sentenced to Jail and Caning for Distributing Child Abuse Material

A 31-year-old man in Singapore, identified as Danial Abdul Rahman, has been sentenced to three years and one month in prison, along with four strokes of the cane, for his role in distributing child sexual abuse content. The prosecution described him as a “one-man distribution hub” for such material. This sentencing occurred on July 14, 2023, following Danial’s guilty plea to possessing 285 videos that depicted child sexual abuse intended for distribution.

The court revealed that the videos contained disturbing imagery of children engaging in sexual activities, with 414 children featured overall, of which 383 were identifiable. Among the videos, seven depicted severe forms of torture and physical abuse. The longest video was over an hour and fifty minutes long, illustrating the extent of the material Danial possessed.

Danial’s illegal activities began in 2017 when he started exploring the blogging platform Tumblr for obscene content involving males. He downloaded this material and stored it on a Google Drive account. His search for child abuse content extended to the dark web, where he accessed and downloaded similar videos. Additionally, he joined various channels on the messaging app Telegram, where such content was shared and distributed.

In 2018, Danial created a Twitter account, now known as X, to post and retweet obscene materials. His follower count grew steadily, reaching between 200 and 500. Users began contacting him privately, requesting assistance in downloading child abuse material. Danial complied, using the dark web to obtain and share the requested content via direct messages or links to his Google Drive account.

After his Twitter account was suspended in May 2021, Danial continued to receive requests for child abuse material through Telegram. He distributed this content to multiple users, including at least five individuals on Twitter, over a span of four years, from 2018 to March 2022.

Authorities became aware of Danial’s actions and conducted a raid on his home on May 12, 2022. During the raid, he admitted to uploading obscene content to his Google Drive account. Law enforcement seized his devices, uncovering the 285 videos containing child abuse material. Court documents detailed the horrific nature of the videos, including instances where infants under a year old were subjected to degrading acts.

During the sentencing, the prosecution argued for a prison term of 37 to 39 months and six strokes of the cane, emphasizing the “reprehensible” nature of Danial’s conduct. Deputy Public Prosecutor Benjamin Low stated, “By acceding to, and wilfully complying with, the depraved requests by other third-party internet users for child sexual abuse material… the accused actively and persistently contributed to the market for child sexual abuse material.”

Danial faced a maximum penalty of up to seven years in prison, along with fines or caning, for possessing such material with the intent to distribute. The case highlights the ongoing challenges authorities face in combating the online distribution of child sexual abuse content.