ANN: Christopher Handley Sentenced To Six Months Jail Followed By Supervised Release And Probation

Anime News Network was I believe first out of the gate comics-wise with a report that Christopher Handley was sentenced yesterday to six months in prison followed by degrees of supervised release. He must also forfeit his computer, the seized materials in question, and attend a treatment program supervised by his eventual probation officer.

Handley is the Iowa Man who plead guilty nine months ago to possession of obscene materials. These books -- listed in the ANN report -- were seized by postal officials in 2006, which led to Handley's home being searched. More than 1000 items were seized at the home, including 80 items that were retained by officials for their case against Handley.

The ensuing case saw the prosecution press for Handley on his manga consumption habit, allowing for artistic merit in the case of some works but using Handley's admitted prurient motivations for seeking out that manga as a way to castigate any literary value those works might have. The defense took a strong line against the prosecution of imagery that did not include photographic images of actual minors. The ANN reports talk of documents released in conjunction with the decision that describe Handley as an armed services veteran and bible study attendee.

CR contacted Charles Brownstein, Executive Director of the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund, for comment. "Today's news of Christopher Handley's sentencing is a heartbreaking conclusion to a case that should never have occurred in the first place. Documents now in the public record show that Christopher is a devoted citizen, who did his best to serve his family and country. He is not and has never been a threat to society. The only victim in this case is Handley himself, who has been found guilty of a kind of thought crime. It's a sad day when an American is put in prison because of his taste in art and fiction. It is our fervent hope that no one else should suffer that same fate. Our prayers are with Christopher and his family in the trying months ahead."
 
posted 10:00 am PST | Permalink
 

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