Luton drug dealer handed extra 18 months for downloading indecent images of children

A drug dealer serving a six-year jail term has been handed an additional 18 months for downloading indecent images of children.
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Asim Hussain, 32, from Luton, has been locked up since police found a substantial amount of drugs and cash during a warrant carried out at his home in February 2017.

That warrant was initially executed after police received information that an occupant of the property was accessing indecent images of children.

A number of digital devices belonging to Hussain were seized, including two laptops, three hard drives and a mobile phone, and were found to have over 54,000 indecent images of children ranging from the more serious category A to category C.

He was dealt with initially for the drugs but has now pleaded guilty to a further six charges in total; three charges of making indecent images and three charges of distributing indecent images.

He was sentenced at Luton Crown Court yesterday (Monday) to 18 months in prison, which will run consecutively to the six-year term he was handed in April 2017 when he pleaded guilty to supplying cocaine and acquiring criminal property, including £160,000 of cash and electronic devices, contrary to the Proceeds of Crime Act.

Investigating Officer, Nicky Owen from the force’s Internet Child Abuse Investigation Team (ICAIT), said: “We are pleased that Hussain pleaded guilty to making and distributing indecent images and will serve further time in prison for this abhorrent offence.

“Online child sex abuse is not victimless. The viewing and sharing of indecent images is a crime which causes real harm and severe trauma to countless children.

“We absolutely will not tolerate this in our county and our ICAIT officers are committed to tackling those responsible and bringing them to justice so that they cannot inflict their abuse on anyone else.”

Parents can visit the Parents Protect website, which is run by the Lucy Faithfull Foundation, for lots of useful resources to help prevent online child sexual abuse. It also contains a list of organisations and resources focusing on keeping children safe in the digital world.

The NSPCC Share Aware website also contains advice and tips about how children can keep themselves safe online.

To report concerns around child sexual abuse call the police on 101.