From The WTF Files

Just caught this story on the Statesman's Web site.

I'm going to copy the story here since the Statesman is a news site that requires registration.

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Man faces federal porn charge
He is accused of directing man raping girl, watching on Internet

By Steven Kreytak

AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF

Tuesday, July 19, 2005

An Austin man is accused of viewing a live Internet broadcast of a man who might have been raping his young daughter and was ordered detained without bail Monday pending trial on child pornography charges.

At an Austin federal court hearing, U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert Pitman ruled that Steven Keith Hawkins is a danger to the community.

Hawkins, 47, is accused of using Internet instant messaging software to participate in chat rooms in which the exploitation of children was the main topic, Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Devlin said.

During one chat session in August 2003, Hawkins viewed a man raping a girl believed to be his daughter and typed instructions "as to what to do with the child," said Devlin, who called the case "disturbing."

Hawkins' public defender could not be reached for comment. Devlin said that during an interview with Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, Hawkins denied watching the live feed of the child rape.

Hawkins was charged in a criminal complaint filed last week with possession and distribution of child pornography.

During a search of his Austin home on June 14, agents seized his computer hard drive and a computer disk that had 100 images and 12 videos of child pornography, according to the complaint.

Travis Central Appraisal District records indicate that Hawkins lives in North Austin on Slow Poke Drive, which is north of Parmer Lane and west of Interstate 35.

Devlin said agents have reviewed chat logs and received other information but have not seen video of the Internet broadcasts.

He would not be specific about that other information and declined to say where the chat logs came from.

He also declined to say whether authorities know the identities of the others who participated in the chat rooms or where they are from.

In chat room conversations during 2004 and 2005, Hawkins asked people to "play with children via Web-cam," discussed how one man sexually abused a baby and bragged "that he had sex 'all the way' with his 9-year-old niece," Devlin said.

During the hearing Monday, Hawkins' wife, LeaneHawkins, said the couple doesn't have a 9-year-old niece, and investigators haven't found evidence of one, Devlin said.

Leane Hawkins testified that she knows nothing about the allegations against her husband. She could not be reached for further comment.

Pitman, in ordering Hawkins detained, wrote that even after his home was searched, he continued to download child pornography.

That suggests "an inability or unwillingness to discontinue this illegal activity," Pitman wrote in court documents.

As recently as July 12, according to court documents, Hawkins used instant messaging to ask someone to molest a child and broadcast it on the Internet. It is unclear whether he was successful.

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I'm nearly speechless.

He allegedly SOLICITED somebody to rape a child. Just try to forget that somebody apparently agreed to do it for a moment.

This guy allegedly solicited another human being to rape a child - maybe even their own child.

If this is true, this is beyond disgusting. I can't begin to even think of how sad I am for the child first of all, and for the rest of the human race if this is some of the problems that develop within.

Hell, this guy doesn't live that far away from where my Dad's shop is.

As a matter of fact, I think I am speechless at this.