14-year-old schoolboy arrested for making porn video on Facebook

A 14-year-old schoolboy in the United Kingdom has been arrested for making and posting on Facebook a "pornographic" video of him with a 14-year-old girl.

 

UK's Daily Mail reported Wednesday night (Manila time) that the boy, from Cheltenham, appeared in the video alongside the girl from the Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire.

 

While the video has been removed from Facebook, UK police warned it may have been seen by thousands of children across the county.

 

The report said the boy was arrested for making and distributing an indecent image and was given a final warning, meaning the incident will remain on his record for the next six years.

 

A headteacher at a nearby school, whose pupils were not involved in the incident, also warned parents to be vigilant.

 

Lawrence Montagu, headteacher at St Peter’s High School in Gloucester, said he was aware that some of his pupils had seen the tape.

 

"I am led to believe that this video involves young people from schools in Gloucestershire but not, I emphasise, St Peter’s. However, I know that the video has been viewed by students in St Peter’s and I have spoken to the school about the lack of dignity and self-respect people have who allow themselves to be portrayed in such a way," he said.

 

"It is very sad that our young people are exposed to such pornography, but it is one of the evils of modern technology... We simply have to continue educating the young to reap the benefits that modern technology offers but not to fall into the trap of misusing it," he added.

 

A spokesman for Gloucestershire Constabulary added they are aware that other children have seen the footage.

 

"Officers have spoken to the girl involved and her parents. We know parents may be concerned by this incident and would obviously advise people not to upload any material of this nature to social media websites," he said.

 

The report said the incident has prompted the police and the UK National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) warned teenagers against the dangers of filming themselves and uploading the footage online.

 

Anyone under 18 who films or photographs themselves or others in sexually explicit situations run the risk of a criminal conviction, they said.

 

They may also find their futures compromised because footage, once put on the web, is almost impossible to remove.

 

"Teenagers should be aware that if they get involved in so called ‘sex tapes’ they could be putting themselves in a potentially dangerous situation. It could result in them being prosecuted as well as the material being circulated to huge audiences," said Jon Brown, head of the NSPCC's Sexual Abuse programs.

 

He added that once footage is uploaded on a network, "it is out of their control and will almost certainly always remain in the public domain."

 

Gloucestershire police added such images and videos can be distributed freely and without control.

 

"What a lot of people don’t realize is that as soon as they share a photograph with someone else ... they lose control of that image," said Inspector Andy Matheson.

 

Matheson added the proliferation of smart phones enables images to be taken and shared with ease.

 

He also noted a common practice among young people involves "sexting," or sending sexually explicit photos mainly between mobile phones.

 

Recent celeb sex tape scandals

 

The Daily Mail report said the most recent "celeb sex tape" scandal occurred two weeks ago, when a video alleging to be N-Dubz singer Tulisa was leaked online.

 

Tulisa made a personal admission to her fans, confirming that it was indeed her seen performing a sex act on a man in the video, the report said.

 

But her team, along with the support of a court order, managed to keep the footage away from popular video sites such as YouTube.

 

"But the singer is the latest to learn that the genie cannot be put back in the box, with the video being widely distributed on peer-to-peer sites and other websites," the Daily Mail report said.

 

Government crackdown

 

The Daily Mail report said the government has begun to crack down on the ease with which children can access porn.

 

Last November, Prime Minister David Cameron announced four of Britain's biggest Internet service providers will force customers to specify if they want to view explicit sites.

 

Subscribers to BT, Sky, Talk Talk and Virgin who do not opt in will have no access to Internet porn.

 

Other moves to stop the sexualization of children include restrictions on billboards plastered with images of scantily-clad models and aggressive advertising campaigns, the report said.

 

There will also be a new website called Parentport on which parents can complain about any TV programme, advertisement, product or service they feel is inappropriate for children. — TJD, GMA News