Shame of two men who shared vile child abuse videos on WhatsApp for 'banter'

Two men shared vile child sex videos on WhatsApp. Taxi driver Rafaaq Asnaat, 25, and security guard Muhammad Shahzad, 30, said they shared the clips as jokes or 'banter'.

But the pair escaped prison after a judge accepted they were remorseful and they were not motivated by sexual interest in children.

Police uncovered the clips on the phone of another man being investigated over an allegation of rape when he was arrested in January 2020, prosecutor Simon Blakebrough told Manchester Crown Court on Friday. The device led police to investigate three different WhatsApp groups.

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Five years ago, Asnaat shared a video to one of the groups which showed three children estimated to be aged between six and eight in a garden in a 'middle eastern setting', the court was told. The video showed the children involved in a vile and degrading sex act.

Shahzad also shared a 54 second clip to another of the WhatsApp groups, this time showing a child thought to be aged between eight and 11 with an adult male who simulated a sex act. The clip again appeared to filmed outside and was in a 'middle eastern setting', the court heard.

Both clips were shared 'many times' but until police discovered them they had not been seen before by the 'abusive images database' used by police, said Mr Blakebrough.

When Shahzad was arrested and interviewed, he confirmed he was the 'admin' for the WhatsApp group concerned which he said he created so work colleagues could exchange messages.

He said he could not recall the offensive video when officers described it to him but he