Dozens of victims, families appear in court for disposition hearing
HARRISBURG — Attorney General Dave Sunday announced that disposition occurred Wednesday in juvenile court for two Lancaster County teenagers who manufactured child sexual abuse material — “morphing” images of children, including classmates.
The two juveniles, 16-year-old males, admitted earlier this month, in Lancaster County Court to 59 felony counts of sexual abuse of children (manufacturing child sexual abuse material), conspiracy to commit that offense, and obscene material or other sexual performance, a misdemeanor.
Lancaster County President Judge Leonard G. Brown III adjudicated both boys delinquent and ordered disposition on Wednesday, while noting that neither boy has apologized in court.
The teenagers will each serve six months on juvenile probation, perform 60 hours of community service, and pay $12,000 to victims to cover counseling costs related to harm caused by the creation of the images. They are prohibited from having contact with the victims.
Dozens of victims and their families either attended Wednesday’s hearing or provided victim impact statements to the Office of Attorney General. The victims reported mental stress along with feelings of helplessness and never knowing when the manufactured photos may appear in the future.
“Many victims and their families articulated in court today their feelings of anxiety, depression, and devastation related to this conduct,” Attorney General Sunday said. “This type of weaponization of technology is affecting the mental wellness of students across the Commonwealth and country. I have heard of those impacts during discussions with students earlier this month — at a teenTALK event in Berks County and a roundtable chat with the Governor in Chester County.”
The juvenile justice system is designed to emphasize the rehabilitative needs of the offenders. Juvenile court matters are typically closed; however, the recent proceedings were open to the public as they involved admissions to charges that would be felonies in adult court settings.
The juveniles manipulated photos they found online — mainly via Instagram — “morphing” the images to make those depicted in the images appear nude.
Morphed images are defined as images created by combining an image of a child with a virtual image or adult image depicting nudity or sexual activity.
Local police filed charges, and the case was referred to the Office of Attorney General’s Child Predator Section for prosecution.
The cases were prosecuted by Senior Deputy Attorney General Janie Swinehart, who read multiple victim impact statements in court Wednesday.
# # #