WC High court dismisses child porn offender appeal against sentence

CAPE TOWN - A child porn offender has had his appeal against his effective eight-year prison sentence dismissed by the Western Cape High Court.
 
Clinton Calder - who was diagnosed with a paedophilic disorder - was convicted on 3,195 counts of possession of child pornography, a count of distributing child pornography, a count of importation of pornography and 19 counts for the creation of child pornography. 
 
He was found guilty following a written guilty plea explanation, which the Wynberg Regional Court accepted. 
 
Calder was sentenced to 10 years behind bars, with two years suspended for a period of five years with conditions, effectively sentencing him to eight years direct imprisonment.

He was granted leave to appeal his sentence, and during arguments in April, he described his conduct as a moment of madness.
 
Calder argued for a non-custodial sentence due to his clean criminal record and personal circumstances, and that he needed private medical and psychological treatment for his medical condition and sexual affliction. 
 
He submitted that specialised facilities are not available in prison. 
 
The 55-year-old also emphasised his pulmonary condition, which he believes would be best treated outside prison because of the excessive smoking habits of other prisoners, was a factor that the regional magistrate failed to adequately consider in sentencing him.
 
But the appeal judges found the regional magistrate did not fail to have regard for Calder’s medical conditions and also found the sentence was not too severe -- dismissing his appeal.