Crown seeks internet ban in child pornography case

| 23/05/2022 | 26 Comments
Cayman News Service
Freddy Manuel Diaz-Christian

(CNS): A former employee at the UCCI who was convicted in December of accessing and possessing pornographic images of children is in HMP Northward awaiting sentence while a judge considers the length of time he should serve behind bars and how to ban him from using the internet when he is released.

As part of a sexual harm prevention order, the crown has asked the court to stop Freddy Manuel Diaz-Christian from getting online and accessing the same type of images in the future. Diaz, who is from West Bay, had originally denied the allegations but he was convicted after a trial last December. He finally appeared before a judge for submissions relating to his sentence earlier this month.

As the prosecutor set out the severity of his conviction for looking at and possessing a high volume of child pornography, including indecent images of very young children and babies, over a considerable period of time, the crown asked the judge for an order that will stop him using the internet when he is released from jail.

Since legislation was passed in 2017 to provide for sexual harm prevention orders, it has usually been used to prevent offenders from access to women or children, but it can also prevent online access for sexual offenders. In this case, Diaz’ crimes were all perpetrated online and the crown asked the judge for a blanket ban on him using the internet for as much as seven years.

Defence attorney Keith Myers told the court that while he appreciated the need to prevent Diaz from accessing the same kind of material on the internet, it could be very difficult for his client to comply with a blanket ban, given that getting online is possible through so many devices and because of any future work he secures.

Diaz was arrested after American law enforcement authorities, as part of the partnership with the US-based National Center for Missing Exploited Children, alerted the RCIPS that he had accessed online pornography involving children. At the time he was working in ICT at UCCI and was suspended after he was charged.

He was remanded to HMP Northward in December after a jury found him guilty on the two counts of accessing and possessing photographs and video that he repeatedly viewed in the early hours of the morning.

During the court submissions prosecutors said Diaz, who is the father of young children, had systematically searched for these indecent images, justifying the need to prevent him from getting online access even when he gets released.

During the hearing, the court heard that Diaz was suffering from depression, that he believed he might be insane and had suffered from COVID three times since he was locked up five months ago, preventing him from seeing his family.

Myers said his client had no previous criminal conviction and he had taken steps to address his offending behaviour, as he asked the court to consider the future problems of a complete ban on internet access once he has served whatever time is handed down by the courts.

Diaz, who is likely to receive a substantial custodial sentence, is the second employee of UCCI to face this type of conviction. Maths professor Pavlov Rameau, a US/Haitian citizen, was convicted on multiple counts of possessing indecent images of children in 2018.

Having admitted his guilt, Rameau received a discount on the five year sentence the judge handed down and was given three and a half years in jail. It is believed he has since been deported. Rameau was charged before the introduction of sexual harm prevention orders.


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Category: Courts, Crime

Comments (26)

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  1. Anonymous says:

    Considering that child porn is banned, and this sicko broke that law, I hardly think that an edict saying he is banned from using the internet will have any impact should he decide to indulge his evil fetish. And how would that ban even be possible to enforce without monitoring his every move 24/4?

  2. Joe B says:

    Cayman Islands still follow the pirate code. If Caymanian then leniency, if expat throw the book at them. Expat caught breaking quarantine throw them in jail, Caymanians break quarantine pretend to be mad at them but no jail for any of them even thought they are all responsible for the easy spread of Covid throughout the whole island still. It is not about what he did here but about if he is eligible for the Caymanian entitlement to get away with it. As long as Cayman culture is in charge this is the norm.

  3. Anonymous says:

    Internet ban until he is out and cites human right to work and provide for his family and now in the digital age he will not be able to work remotely so he will undoubtedly be back online sooner than you think.

    • Anonymous says:

      Did you bother to read beyond the headlines? The article states “It is believed he has since been deported”.

      • Lomart says:

        Did you read the article? It was speaking about two different offenders. One is only now going before the courts and the other has served the time and “it is believed that he has been deported.”

  4. Anonymous says:

    Caymanians stop marrying these criminals! YOU are the problem! Deport him back to where he came from.

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    • Carolina Rodriguez says:

      He is a Caymanian where will they deport him to?

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    • Anonymous says:

      All thee clowns saying deport need to read our Constitution and pay particular attention to this thing called Human Rights and the right to Family Life…..he nah going nowhere Bobo.

  5. anon says:

    A long sentence is the initial answer, after that maybe the U.S. agency that identified him, can continue to monitor activity in the Cayman Islands.

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  6. Anonymous says:

    This man is a sick puppy.

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  7. Anonymous says:

    Deportation order?

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  8. Anonymous says:

    Why no deportation order? Is anyone even checking if his immigration permissions can be revoked?

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    • Anonymous says:

      He is married to the Caymanian granddaughter of a much respected early missionary to Cayman so stop with the deportation nonsense.

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    • Anonymous says:

      Because the man is caymanian. Not only expats can do evil things. Unless another Freddy Diaz is on the elector roles from a old address in BT

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      • Anonymous says:

        So? Was he granted status? If so, it can be revoked, and he can be deported.

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        • Anonymous says:

          9:32, it’s pretty simple, there are Human Rights such as a Right to Family Life. You should pay more attention; it pops up in every case where the offender has Cayman links i.e. children.

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        • Anonymous says:

          He is caymanian, born and raised along with his siblings. His dad wasn’t from here.

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          • Junius says:

            If so, we’re unfortunately stuck with this sick individual.

            It’s beyond me how someone can be so sexually deranged.

            We need to protect children, who are the future, at all costs.

            I am absolutely sick to my stomach even reading this article, but, as always, thank you CNS for reporting this news.

            • Anonymous says:

              I whole heartedly agree with 100 percent. But everything is just so messed up on this dumb island. The lawmakers just don’t care! Every little thing gets a slap on the wrist and sometimes nothing at all.

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