LOUIS ALEXANDER SZASZ SENTENCED IN SOUTHAMPTON FOR CHILD PORNOGRAPHY OFFENSES
Louis Alexander Szasz, a 41-year-old from Southampton, was told in court that he had never considered that children were being abused.The court heard that he claimed to have 'just stumbled across' the explicit images and 'didn’t know why he downloaded them.' Prosecutor Rose Burns explained that police discovered numerous files on a MacBook and an external hard drive belonging to Szasz.
These included 683 images classified as Category A—the most severe—and also involved extreme pornography featuring animals.
Ms.
Burns described how officers visited Szasz’s residence on Bridge Road on May 18, 2019.
During a police interview the following day, Szasz stated he did not regularly view such images and did not consider himself addicted.
Szasz appeared before Southampton Crown Court facing six charges related to offenses that occurred between August 2016 and May 2019.
These charges included making indecent photographs of a child and distributing indecent images.
The court was told that Szasz had accessed the files using the 'dark web' and that some images had been shared through file-sharing applications.
Defending him, solicitor Peter Asteris said that Szasz had no previous convictions.
He described Szasz as extremely vulnerable, suffering from very low self-esteem, and caring for his terminally ill father.
Asteris emphasized that Szasz had pleaded guilty at the earliest opportunity.
During sentencing, Mr.
Recorder Richard Smith QC stated that the offenses had exceeded the threshold for immediate custody.
However, he acknowledged Szasz’s efforts to address his behavior and noted there was a genuine chance for rehabilitation.
Szasz received a 30-month community order, is required to complete 40 days of rehabilitation, and perform 150 hours of unpaid work.
Additionally, he will be subject to a ten-year sexual harm prevention order.
Mr.
Smith warned that if Szasz failed to comply with the order, he would have no one to blame but himself.
