Indian Psychiatrist Sentenced to 6 Years in UK for Operating Child Pornography Website, Seizing 7,000 Images

International

oi-Madhuri Adnal

An Indian psychiatrist has been sentenced a six-year prison in the United Kingdom for his involvement in operating a child sex abuse website.

Dr. Kabir Garg, aged 33, residing in Lewisham, South-east London, pleaded guilty at Woolwich Crown Court to his role in facilitating the exploitation of children, as reported by the BBC.

Garg, who was sentenced on June 23 at Woolwich Crown Court, will be registered as a lifelong sex offender. The court revealed that he had acted as a “moderator” for the dark web platform dedicated to the sharing of abusive images involving children.

Adam Priestley,from the National Crime Agency, said, “Garg played a significant role in facilitating child sexual abuse. He utilized the dark web to access a global community of pedophiles who shared and discussed heinous crimes against children.”

Having completed his MBBS from Lucknow’s King George Medical University, Garg worked at the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS) in Bengaluru before relocating to the UK.

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Garg was arrested in November last year and pleaded guilty to eight charges, including the sexual exploitation of children, as well as the creation and dissemination of indecent images, in January.

Authorities revealed that Garg was one of the moderators of a website called “The Annex,” boasting 90,000 members worldwide. They uncovered hundreds of daily shared links to child abuse materials, and Garg held a prominent administrative role on the website.

“While there are hundreds of thousands of members on such sites within the dark web, only a few are willing to commit to being staff members, requiring them to dedicate significant unpaid time,” added Priestley.

“Garg was arrested at his residence in Lewisham in November 2022 as part of an international joint operation while the website was open on his laptop, with Garg logged into his moderator account,” stated the UK’s national crime agency in an official statement.

Authorities also discovered over 7,000 indecent images and videos, as well as various medical journal articles acquired during Garg’s tenure as a psychiatrist. Among the materials seized was a journal article titled “A Study on Child Abuse India.”

Bethany Raine, a specialist prosecutor, expressed her shock at Garg’s crimes, particularly given his understanding of the psychological impact of sexual abuse on children.

UK authorities also arrested 34-year-old Matthew Smith from London last year, during the same period as Garg’s arrest, for his alleged involvement in child sexual abuse in India. Investigators recovered thousands of images and videos depicting sexual harassment inflicted upon children from Smith’s devices.

Smith reportedly paid Rs 65 lakh over a five-year period to two teenagers in India to engage in sexual acts with boys and share images. Authorities suspect this to be part of a larger child pornography network, as they discovered numerous images and videos of sexual abuse.

During his time in India, Smith worked in orphanages and NGOs, managing to establish a network of accomplices involved in child sexual abuse. He maintained contact with them even after relocating to the UK last year. Prosecutors revealed that Smith manipulated teenage boys in India, teaching them how to befriend minors and subsequently sending them videos and images of sexual acts that he requested to be performed and recorded.

Story first published: Monday, June 26, 2023, 10:18 [IST]