British Man Arrested in Hawai’i, Sentenced for Child Exploitation

File photo by Wendy Osher.

By Wendy Osher

A British citizen was sentenced in the US District Court of Hawai’i today to 30 years in prison for producing child pornography, officials said.

Authorities say Simon Jasper McCarty, 39, was apprehended on August 5, 2008, when he attempted to fly from Hilo, Hawaii, to Honolulu with computer media that contained child pornography.

Officials with the Attorney General’s office say a forensics examination of the media revealed approximately 400 still images and nearly 200 videos of child pornography.

According to the Attorney General’s office, it is estimated that 60 of the videos featured three minors who were allegedly molested by McCarty between 2005 and 2007 outside of the US.

McCarty pleaded guilty to a single count of producing child pornography on January 10, 2012.

The 30 year sentence was imposed by US District Judge J. Michael Seabright.  In addition to his prison term, McCarty was ordered to serve lifetime supervised release and pay $98,458 in restitution.

The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse launched six years ago by the US Department of Justice.