A 62-year-old man from Glasgow has admitted to possessing hundreds of thousands of images and videos of child sexual abuse and extreme pornography. Chi Wah Yau was arrested after police raided his home in Possilpark and seized several devices containing the illegal material.
How the police caught Chi Wah Yau
The police executed a search warrant at Yau’s home on March 7, 2022, after receiving intelligence that he was involved in downloading and distributing indecent images of children. They found a total of 24 discs and 11 hard drives, as well as a computer tower unit, in his possession. A preliminary examination of the items revealed that they contained images and videos of children and extreme porn.
What the police found on Yau’s devices
The police conducted a further examination of Yau’s devices and discovered that he had a staggering amount of illegal material. According to prosecutor Lauren Sangray, there were 233,169 moving and still indecent images of children, created between December 2003 and February 2022. The images showed sexual abuse and exploitation of female and male children between the ages of one and 16. There were also 8,364 still and moving images of extreme porn, which involved acts of violence, bestiality, and necrophilia.
How Yau pleaded in court
Yau appeared at Glasgow Sheriff Court on October 9, 2023, and pled guilty to two charges: possession of indecent images of children and possession of extreme porn. His lawyer, Susan Gibson, said that he had no previous convictions or children, and that he was aware that custody was likely. She also said that he had to accept that there were a high number of images involved in his case.
What the sheriff said to Yau
Sheriff Gerard Bonnar deferred sentence until next month, pending background reports. He told Yau that his case was a serious matter, given the large number of images he had. He also put Yau on the sex offenders register and granted him bail in the meantime.
What the possible outcomes are for Yau
Yau faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison for each charge. However, the actual sentence will depend on several factors, such as his personal circumstances, his level of culpability, and his risk of reoffending. The sheriff will also consider any mitigating or aggravating factors, such as his cooperation with the police, his remorse, or the nature and extent of the material he possessed.
What the implications are for society
Yau’s case is not an isolated one. According to the National Crime Agency (NCA), there are at least 300,000 people in the UK who pose a sexual threat to children online. The NCA also estimates that there are more than 100 million indecent images of children circulating on the internet. These images fuel the demand for child sexual abuse and exploitation, and cause immense harm to the victims. The NCA urges anyone who has information about people accessing or sharing indecent images of children to report it to them or to their local police.
