[marshmallow]

This puts Townshend's arrest in a new light. Like many, I assumed the worst and I'm now more than happy to give him the benefit of the doubt.

However, two things still trouble me about the case.

1)He gave these people his credit card number. No amount of dedication to research on my part would induce me to allow these people to make money off my "research". Not to mention the foolishness of giving your number to the human detritus who run these sites.

2)He has been changed with "conspiracy to distribute" or words to that effect. That goes way beyond just looking at this stuff or even downloading it. I'd like to know what's behind this charge.

[new cruelty]

As of this morning, he has yet to be charged with anything. The allegation of 'conspiracy to distribute' may be part and parcel of any investigation of this type.

...

Funny (in a weird way), I just noted (while writing 'of this type'), I have trouble even typing the words 'child pornography'.

[DuncanWaring]

He has been changed with "conspiracy to distribute" or words to that effect .... I'd like to know what's behind this charge.

If English prosecutors are anything like American prosecutors, they create a list of every conceivable charge that can faintly be construed by the wildest imagination to apply.

[NYC GOP Chick]

He has been changed with "conspiracy to distribute" or words to that effect. That goes way beyond just looking at this stuff or even downloading it. I'd like to know what's behind this charge.

Actually, he has been charged with nothing, but is "under suspicion" of "incitement to distribute" -- which, essentially, means that by giving his credit card info (stupid, stupid, stupid!) to the porn site, he was "inciting" them to "distribute" their crap to his computer.