Abdullah Hamood

Two men from Newcastle, Abdullah Hamood and Essa Oghul, faced justice at Newcastle Crown Court for their involvement in distributing and possessing indecent images of children. The case came to light following intelligence received by Northumbria Police in January 2021, which revealed that a Facebook account linked to Oghul had sent an indecent Category A video to Hamood.

Hamood, aged 28, of Walkerdene House, Walker, was arrested in January 2023 when his property was searched and his mobile phone seized. Forensic examination of the device uncovered seven Category A videos of children, three Category B indecent images, and two Category C indecent images, with the victims aged between seven and 15 years old. Further investigation showed that Hamood had distributed six Category A images and videos of children via WhatsApp.

Hamood pleaded guilty to one count of distributing an indecent photograph of a child and three counts of making an indecent photograph of a child. During sentencing, Recorder Makepeace rejected Hamood's claims that the acts were culturally acceptable or a joke, stating: "I reject entirely any suggestion by you that you thought the distribution was a joke. Just think for one second how you would explain to a right thinking person it would be a joke. I'm satisfied that what you were doing was for sexual gratification. You don't believe a victim would be harmed in any way, they are real children." Hamood, who had no previous convictions, received a 20-month prison sentence, suspended for 18 months, along with 30 rehabilitation activity requirement days and 250 hours of unpaid work.

The court proceedings were reported by Chronicle Live on 29 May 2025, highlighting the severity of child sexual exploitation offences in the North East region. Northumbria Police's investigation underscored the role of digital forensics in combating such crimes.