PHILIP FERNANDEZ FROM HARROW SENTENCED FOR CHILD PORNOGRAPHY AND CHILD ABUSE IN LONDON

In a recent development in the ongoing fight against child exploitation, Philip Fernandez, a man with a criminal history linked to child abuse, has been sentenced to a two-year prison term for serious offenses involving child pornography and abuse. Fernandez, aged 33 and residing in Harrow, was found guilty of engaging in illegal activities that included sharing disturbing images with undercover police officers and making alarming boasts about abusing a young girl.

The incident unfolded while Fernandez was on license, a form of supervised release following previous convictions. During this period, he accessed a website titled ‘100 percent pre-teen girls,’ which was actually a trap set by an undercover Canadian detective. Unaware of the trap, Fernandez logged into the site, which led to his arrest and subsequent prosecution. This case highlights the dangers of online entrapment and the importance of vigilant law enforcement efforts to combat such crimes.

Fernandez’s criminal record is extensive, with prior convictions dating back to November 2002. In that case, he was sentenced to a year in prison after police raided his residence in Harrow, North-West London. During the raid, officers seized a significant amount of digital and physical material related to child exploitation, including computers, videos, and children’s underwear. The investigation uncovered nearly 1,500 indecent images stored on his computer, along with three CD-ROMs containing a total of 7,200 images, and printed images on A4 paper, totaling 128 photographs of children involved in sexual abuse.

Fernandez pleaded guilty to ten charges of producing indecent images of children at Harrow Magistrates’ Court. The court sentenced him to 12 months for each charge, to be served concurrently. Additionally, he has been ordered to register as a sex offender and is now disqualified from working with children for the rest of his life. These measures aim to prevent further harm and protect vulnerable members of society.

Commenting on the case, Detective Inspector Brian Ward, who leads the Metropolitan Police’s Obscene Publications and Internet Unit, expressed satisfaction with the outcome. He emphasized the severity of Fernandez’s crimes, stating, “During this investigation, we found thousands of indecent images of children, some as young as six months, many involving actual sexual abuse by adults. This type of crime feeds off the exploitation and harm of one of the most vulnerable groups in society – children – and is unacceptable.”

Inspector Ward also issued a warning to potential offenders, underscoring that the belief in online anonymity is a misconception. “People still seem to believe that committing this type of crime on the Internet means they are anonymous. This isn’t the case. Police can and will trace you,” he warned, reaffirming law enforcement’s commitment to pursuing and prosecuting offenders involved in such heinous acts.