A blind British man named Andrew Shaw was summoned to Blackpool Magistrates Court to stand trial; he is charged with the possession of child pornography.
According to the Blackpool Gazette, Shaw faces three charges for possessing some 71 "obscene images" of children on his computer, with 12 of these images apparently being "of the worst variety."
During the hearings, Shaw’s lawyer pointed out that his client is registered as blind and "has no sight in one eye and only a small amount in the other."
"It may be argued that difficulty with his vision makes it difficult for him to put an age to images he downloads. He may think he is looking at 16-year olds," the lawyer explained.
Following these revelations, the court hearings were adjourned so that the Crown Prosecution Service could review the case.
Crown Prosecutor Jim Mowbray noted, however, that the case was thoroughly reviewed before the hearings, and it also appears that Shaw was under investigation for over a year before the matter was taken to court, Metro reports.
