Louis Alexander Szasz

A Southampton man, Louis Alexander Szasz, appeared at Southampton Crown Court facing charges related to indecent images of children. The 41-year-old water cooler engineer was accused of possessing and distributing a large number of such images, discovered during a police search of his home.

Prosecution barrister Rose Burns outlined how officers from Hampshire Constabulary visited Szasz's address in Bridge Road, Southampton, on 18 May 2019. During the search, they seized a MacBook laptop and an external hard drive belonging to Szasz. Analysis revealed 683 category A images—the most serious classification—of indecent photographs of children, along with extreme pornography involving animals. The offences were said to have occurred between August 2016 and May 2019.

In a police interview the following day, Szasz claimed he did not look at the images often and was not addicted to them. He stated that he had 'just stumbled across' the photos on the dark web and 'didn’t know why he downloaded them', adding that he never considered the fact that children were being abused as a result. The court heard that Szasz had used the 'black' or dark web to access the files, some of which were then distributed via a sharing application.

Szasz faced six charges, including making indecent photographs of a child and distributing indecent images. Defending barrister Peter Asteris highlighted that his client had no previous court appearances and described him as extremely vulnerable with low self-esteem. Asteris noted that Szasz cares for his terminally ill father and had pleaded guilty at the earliest opportunity.

During sentencing, Mr Recorder Richard Smith QC determined that the offences had crossed the custody threshold but acknowledged Szasz's efforts to address his behaviour and the realistic prospect of rehabilitation. Szasz was handed a 30-month community order, requiring 40 days of rehabilitation activity and 150 hours of unpaid work. Additionally, he was made the subject of a ten-year sexual harm prevention order. Mr Smith warned Szasz that failure to comply with the order would be his own responsibility.

The case was reported by the Daily Echo on 27 January 2021, based on proceedings at Southampton Crown Court. No further details on the specific victims or additional investigations were provided in the coverage.