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A Man Claimed Abu Dhabi Police Sent Him Child Porn
When Hani Al Askari was caught trying to enter Canada with 300 videos and almost 100 images of child pornography, he swore he was just holding it for a friend. It's the oldest trick in the book, but the prospective refugee insisted that it really wasn't what it looked like: The friend in question was the Abu Dhabi police. It might seem like "Abu Dhabi police distribute child porn to random dudes" is the bigger story here, but Askari claimed he received it as part of his work as a computer expert consulting for the police.
Since this isn't a list of innocent people caught in situations that looked really bad, it's probably no surprise that Al Askari couldn't come up with a shred of evidence for his claims. He claimed that he had attempted to contact the officer he worked for, but for some reason, the guy never got back to him. Maybe Al Askari made fun of his shoes one time and he's still holding a grudge. Maybe he just got lost in the shuffle. Whatever the case, Al Askari couldn't produce the instructions he claimed he received from the police along with the, erm, "material." They were totally on his hard drive, he said, but it would take weeks to find them. Either not willing to wait or just recognizing this as nonsense, the judge sentenced him to 18 months.
Chris Scott owns a bookstore in Regina, the city that rhymes with fun. You can also read her in The Prairie Dog Magazine.
Top image: Irina No/Shutterstock
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