Petition Stricter Sentencing for Viewing Images of Child Sexual Abuse

All images of child sexual abuse represent a crime against a real child. The Internet Watch Foundation cite the fact that the production of such imagery is becoming commercialised. In procuring images of child sexual abuse consumers of such imagery are, in fact, commissioning crimes against children. The criminal penalty for owning level 4 or 5 images should be the same as that currently for commissioning or encouraging the production of level 4 or 5 images, i.e. 4 - 9 years, because in its current commercial context, procurement of this material is an act of commission and encouragement. The same equivalence in sentencing should apply to procuring level 1-3 material.