James Marsh, an attorney in New York who represents victims of child pornography in federal court said the school should have reported the images.
“Tucking it away for 10 years … prevented law enforcement from investigating crimes that may have taken place by Mr. Seibel no matter where he was in the last 20, 30 years.”
In Marsh’s view, ”The only defense to the possession of child pornography is that you immediately turn it over to the police. There’s no exception for a school.”
Unlike allegations of an event or second-hand rumor, child pornography is direct evidence of child sexual abuse. Marsh compared it to finding cocaine at work and deciding with a friend to keep it in a safe. ”When the police break down your door and find the kilo of cocaine in your safe,” Marsh said, ”(saying) ‘we didn’t think we had to report it, it’s just sitting in the safe,’ that’s not going to save us from a significant prison term.”
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