A 26 year old local female and 19 year old local man were arrested yesterday by officers of the Public Protection Unit on suspicion of Being in Possession of, and, Distribution of Indecent Images of a Child.

The arrests came about as a result of an investigation launched into the viral distribution locally of an indecent video of a young child on Social Media. The investigation is wide ranging and further arrests are not discarded.

The Royal Gibraltar Police once again draws attention to the fact that the taking, possession and distribution of indecent images of a child are an offence. We particularly wish to highlight that with regards these offences Section 261(6) of the Crimes Act 2011 defines a child as a person under the age of 18.

Additionally, we also stress that the offences of possession and distribution of indecent images of a child are committed even if the person at the time in possession or distributing the images received them from the child themselves

We also take this opportunity to once again make mention of the dangers of SEXTING, irrespective of the persons age. Persons should be aware that once they have sent an indecent image of themselves to someone else, even loved ones at the time, they have lost control of that image. They are in effect from that point onwards at the mercy of the recipient’s discretion. There have been numerous instances of persons, of all ages, in failed relationships being subjected to the vindictive and vengeful distribution of indecent images of them by their former partners.