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Child pornographer gets off lightly after donating to Red Cross

YOKOSUKA, Kanagawa -- A man charged over child porn was handed a suspended prison term after donating 2 million yen to the Japanese Red Cross Society.

"The defendant decided to extend 2 million yen in donations at his own discretion. As he is planning to get married, I think he will lead a serious life from now on," his defense lawyers said.

The Yokosuka branch of the Yokohama District Court sentenced the 29-year-old man working at a confectionery company in Saitama Prefecture to two years in prison, suspended for three years, for violating the anti-child prostitution and pornography law.

He was convicted of making copies of child porn videos and selling them to about 700 people on an Internet auction site, netting more than 4 million yen.

"Don't forget that you violated numerous children's personal rights," the judge told the defendant after handing down the ruling on him.

During hearings, the defendant said he began to sell child porn videos on the Internet to earn money for his upcoming marriage.

"The company where I'm working is not making a profit, and I earn only 140,000 yen after tax each month. I began to sell such videos on the Internet to make money for my upcoming marriage. It was exciting to see my bank account filling up with money," he had told the court.

His defense lawyer said he had advised the defendant to use part of the money he had made through his illegal business to help society. "I told him, 'The money you got from porn is nothing but unearned money. You should do something to express an apology to society.'"

The lawyer had submitted a receipt of the defendant's donations to the court as grounds for asking for leniency.

shi*bags...