MIKKO SIHVONEN FROM STROUD GREEN JAILED FOR HORRIFIC IMAGES OF BABIES BEING RAPED IN UK

In a disturbing case that has shocked the local community and the academic world alike, Mikko Sihvonen, a 37-year-old university lecturer originally from Finland, has been sentenced to prison after being found in possession of extremely disturbing images depicting the sexual abuse of infants. The arrest took place in December 2017, when police officers uncovered a total of 83 illicit images on Sihvonen's computer, most of which were classified in the most severe categories due to their violent and depraved content.

Sihvonen, who resides on Elyne Road in Stroud Green, North London, moved to the United Kingdom in 1999. He has been employed as a lecturer at Manchester Metropolitan University, where he taught within the Department of Information and Communications. His academic background includes a PhD thesis completed in 2014, titled: ‘Public service priorities in transition: catering for minority interests in the public service media environments of the UK and Finland’.

The police investigation revealed that the images found on his computer included some depicting the violent assault and rape of infants, which are considered among the most serious forms of child exploitation images. The majority of these images fell into the category A classification, indicating their extreme nature. Additionally, there were images in category B involving very young children, some as young as six years old, which further heightened the severity of the case.

Judge Oliver Sells, QC, presiding over the case, described the content as profoundly disturbing. He stated, “In relation to the images in count one, they are on occasion the violent assault and rape of infants; they are most serious photographs indeed. Those in category B also involve persons of a very young age, some just six. That is in my judgement a most serious aggravating feature of this case.”

He emphasized that the offences were so grave that they clearly crossed the threshold for immediate custody, and he ruled out the possibility of suspending the sentence. Sihvonen pleaded guilty to three counts of making indecent photographs, corresponding to the different categories of images.

As a result, he was sentenced to a total of 15 months in prison for the first count involving category A images, six months for the second count involving category B images, and three months for the third count involving category C images. All sentences are to run concurrently, meaning he will serve the longest period of 15 months in total. The case has raised serious concerns about the safety and integrity of individuals within the community and has cast a shadow over the reputation of the academic institution where Sihvonen was employed.