MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 07th August, 2020) A former UK Labour lawmaker has been given an eight-month suspended jail sentence on Friday for making an indecent image of a child, the Sky news broadcaster reports.
Eric Joyce, who served as a member of parliament representing the constituency of Falkirk from 2000 to 2015, was sentenced at Ipswich Crown Court after he pleaded guilty to the offense and was convicted in July.
"That these acts of abuse happened is because there are people like you who want to watch these films. If there was no market, those children wouldn't be subjected to these very serious offenses," Justice Edis said during the sentencing hearing, as quoted by the broadcaster.
Joyce was handed an eight-month jail sentence, suspended for two years, and ordered to complete 150 hours of unpaid work and pay prosecution costs of 1,800 Pounds ($2,359).
At an earlier hearing, the lawmaker said that he accessed the indecent file via an email, which he claimed to be spam. Following the incident, Joyce said that he has received psychological therapy.
In 2015, Joyce was convicted on two counts of common assault after attacking two teenagers in London. At that time, he was given a 10-week jail term suspended for two years.
