"Baby Acrobatics" video results in arrest but not what you think

**Dakota Valkyrie** · December 8th, 2008, 10:59 AM

You may have seen the "Baby Acrobatics" video posted here (and other places):
http://www.dreamindemon.com/forums/s...ead.php?t=9062

On Sunday, November 30, police in Queensland Australia arrested a man in conjuction with the video. The controversial three-minute video had already been published widely across the internet and shown on American TV news shows.

The thing is, 61-year-old Chris Illingworth is not the creator of the video. He re-published the viral video of a man swinging a baby around like a rag doll on a video-sharing site. He has been charged with using the internet to publish child abuse material.

Illingworth discovered the video while surfing online last month and posted it on the Liveleak website.

Investigating officers told Mr Illingworth they had traced the clip from Liveleak to him after someone in Britain complained to police.

Interpol found the video was originally uploaded to a Russian website.

Online users rights campaigner Colin Jacobs said the case showed that public anxiety about the depiction of children had increased.

"It's now reached the point where any parent would have to think twice about posting a photo of their children to a photo-sharing website," Jacobs, who is vice-chairperson of lobby group Electronic Frontiers Australia.

"Cases like this seem to indicate that we've gone beyond the point of the sensible and entered into hysteria territory."

Liveleak owner Hayden Hewitt has defended Mr Illingworth in a video posted on the site and called on users to bring attention to the incident and "fight injustice".

http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=683770
http://www.news24.com/News24/World/N...438968,00.html

While I found the video disturbing on some level, The only one I would fault is the original people involved. I posted this in "Three Things" even though I can't imagine anyone thinking the man should be charged... but I could be wrong.

Using this logic, every person who uploaded copies to LiveLeak and YouTube could be charged. What about those who sent it viral via emails? Can Raven be charged for even linking to it here?

**Harley_Tech** · December 8th, 2008, 12:20 PM

Nothing like punishing a whistle blower. Sure fire way to make sure stuff like the video says in the shadows where it goes unpunished.

R

**Silvahalo** · December 8th, 2008, 12:44 PM

That's utterly ludicrous! If any one has a problem with the video in the making and or distribution they should look at the creator. He made it and posted it.

This Illingworth man is just a concerned citizen...talk about shooting the messenger...

**DarkPrincess** · December 8th, 2008, 01:11 PM

I don't get this. Why aren't they looking for the idiot swinging the baby around? Instead you're going to punish someone who had nothing to do with the making of the video? That's lunacy.

**Dakota Valkyrie** · December 8th, 2008, 01:25 PM

I understand the charges - I just don't agree with them in this case.

It's similar to passing out child porn. You don't have to make the porn to be guilty of publishing it or sharing it. They are just applying a similar law to child abuse.

Does this rise to the level of abuse? After all, the baby is happy at the end. If the man in the video can be charged with abuse, why not those that publish or disseminate it - or even look at it?

If the child was getting beaten or obviously hurt would you feel different?

**DarkPrincess** · December 8th, 2008, 01:51 PM

Originally Posted by Dakota_Valkyrie

I understand the charges - I just don't agree with them in this case.

It's similar to passing out child porn. You don't have to make the porn to be guilty of publishing it or sharing it. They are just applying a similar law to child abuse.

Does this rise to the level of abuse? After all, the baby is happy at the end. If the man in the video can be charged with abuse, why not those that publish or disseminate it - or even look at it?

If the child was getting beaten or obviously hurt would you feel different?

I understand they're making it equivalent to posting child porn. If we found child porn most of us would turn it over to the cops immediately. I guess that's what we're supposed to do with stuff like this too. Although, really I don't feel it's child abuse. He seems to just be playing with the baby and the baby enjoys it, as you pointed out. However, it's pretty reckless to swing a baby around like that.

**RaVen Blackehart** · December 8th, 2008, 01:53 PM

I'm not going to get into any trouble for posting it here, it's been re-posted all over the damn Internet by many, many people. I got it off a Myspace bulletin.
I am not worried about it in the least.

**Dakota Valkyrie** · December 8th, 2008, 02:40 PM

Originally Posted by RaVen Blackehart

I'm not going to get into any trouble for posting it here, it's been re-posted all over the damn Internet by many, many people. I got it off a Mypace bulletin.
I am not worried about it in the least.

I didn't really think you would

Was just being pointing it as a "how far can this go" type deal. Plus you didn't upload it - only linked to it LOL

**RaVen Blackehart** · December 8th, 2008, 03:10 PM

Originally Posted by Dakota_Valkyrie

I didn't really think you would

Was just being pointing it as a "how far can this go" type deal. Plus you didn't upload it - only linked to it LOL

I wouldn't even care if "they" did try to get me for anything. Good fucking luck trying to find me.

**tray-bay-bay** · December 8th, 2008, 08:05 PM

Originally Posted by Harley_Tech

Nothing like punishing a whistle blower. Sure fire way to make sure stuff like the video says in the shadows where it goes unpunished.

R

Harley, you said it perfectly.

**malq** · December 8th, 2008, 08:42 PM

Originally Posted by DarkPrincess

I understand they're making it equivalent to posting child porn. If we found child porn most of us would turn it over to the cops immediately. I guess that's what we're supposed to do with stuff like this too. Although, really I don't feel it's child abuse. He seems to just be playing with the baby and the baby enjoys it, as you pointed out. However, it's pretty reckless to swing a baby around like that.

Well if you do find child porn, be sure not to report it. You may be on the wrong end of the law.

**Shellie435** · December 10th, 2008, 01:39 AM

I totally agree with Dakota on the child abuse aspect (I don't know how to quote yet :) But I really do believe they should be looking for the dad, and mom who was presumably taping this. Even though the child looked pretty happy at the end of the video, isn't it possible he could have gotten some sort of brain injury (or muscular) that doesn't present immediately? I saw this video the first time around, I made it through about 15 seconds and couldn't take it anymore. Sure..it looks all fun and games..What would dad have said to the officers if something really bad happened? "Sorry officer Friendly..we were jus tplaying a little game of Tarzan and Boy"!

**Dakota Valkyrie** · September 9th, 2009, 07:19 AM

All charges have been dropped against Chris Illingworth, the man who was charged for republishing on a video-sharing site a video of a man swinging a baby by its arms like a rag doll.
[...]

Despite having had no involvement in the creation of the three-minute clip, Illingworth faced a maximum penalty of 20 years in jail for two charges of accessing and uploading child-abuse material.

Illingworth, who is an administrator of the Liveleak video sharing site, claims a Queensland Police officer even asked him for help in identifying other "suspect" videos uploaded to the site, right before he was charged.

Illingworth has long claimed that he was a "citizen journalist", publishing a "common interest story", and he has uploaded thousands of videos to the site to date.

A disclaimer he published when uploading the baby-swinger video warned people that "this actually endangers the baby's life" and called for information as to the origins of the video.

The baby is laughing and smiling at the end of the clip, but the video attracted criticism from child-welfare advocates because of how vigorously the man swings the child.

Later investigations revealed the clip was most likely "a training film for a Russian circus family", his lawyer, Michael Byrne, QC, said.
[...]

Illingworth claims it was part of a series of 10 clips, one of which showed parents building their child' strength from the age of one by attaching velcro weights to their hands and feet.

Nic Suzor, spokesman for online users' lobby group Electronic Frontiers Australia, said the dropping of the charges highlighted the fact that child-abuse laws were too broad and did not provide certainty

"I think that this vindicates our position that he shouldn't have been charged in the first place," Suzor said.
[...]

http://www.mailtimes.com.au/news/nat...d/1619427.aspx