Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1493590
NEWS 16 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 26 FEBRUARY 2023 Pensioner in custody over possession, dissemination of 'extreme child porn' MATTHEW AGIUS A 73-year-old man from St. Paul's Bay has been remanded in custo- dy after being charged with the possession and dissemination of what has been described as "ex- treme child pornography." Publius Said, also known as Leo or Pullu, was arraigned under arrest before magistrate Char- maine Galea on Saturday after- noon, accused of possession of child pornography and misuse of electronic communications equipment. The police say the offences took place during the month of November 2022 and in previous months. Police Inspector Joseph Busut- til, prosecuting, explained that the police had investigated the defendant after receiving an alert from the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, a US-based organisation involved in the fight against child abduction and sexual exploitation. NCMEC had informed the Maltese authorities about por- nographic videos of extreme, vi- olent sexual abuse carried out on minors, which had allegedly been downloaded by Said. Four such videos are understood to have been found on electronic devices owned by Said. Inside the courtroom, Said protested that he was a victim of "a frame-up by the Americans". Said is no stranger to the court and was most recently ordered to pay €3,000 in moral damages to lawyer John Bonello last Decem- ber for publishing a number of wildly false allegations about the lawyer on Facebook. In court today, Said entered a plea of not guilty and was remand- ed in custody after being denied bail. Lawyer Carmel Gatt was defence counsel. Maltese authorities were alerted by US organisation, National Center for Missing & Exploited Children • Inside the courtroom, the 73-year-old protested that he was a victim of 'a frame-up by the Americans' Leo Said leaving the Court after his arraignment