R v SG

Albion Chambers played an important part in securing convictions of a British woman who streamed the sexual abuse of a young child which took place in the UK, over the internet via the medium of Skype video calls, to another female in San Francisco. The jury unanimously found the defendant guilty of all six counts at the conclusion of the seven-week trial at Plymouth Crown Court, although she denied being the woman seen by the American female. The defendant (SG) and her partner sedated their victim with drugs or medication in order to perpetuate the sexual abuse of the child before live streaming the abuse. Her partner had previously pleaded guilty.

Kannan Siva, assisted by Chloe Griggs, prosecuted this extremely unusual case which involved calling an American convicted female sex offender, who had already pleaded guilty to child pornography offences in the USA and was awaiting sentence, to give evidence by TV Link to Plymouth. The jury heard evidence on late afternoons only for several days to accommodate the eight-hour time difference between the UK and San Francisco. The American woman was not able to attend court as she was a remand prisoner in the USA. However, FBI officers attended the Court in person to give evidence for the prosecution during a trial which was held amid tight security to avoid disruption, which regrettably occurred during a previously abandoned trial. A significant amount of expert evidence was considered by the jury including computer evidence adduced by both parties, and also a toxicologist and a surgeon called by the Defence only, but cross-examined by the Prosecution.

Kannan and Chloe were instructed by Howard Phillips of the Complex Casework Unit, CPS South West.

Further details are available on the Daily Mail webpage.