A nursing assistant who admitted sharing child pornography online has been given a two year suspended prison sentence.

The 30-year-old, whose name has been banned from publication, pleaded guilty to sharing pornographic material featuring a child under the age of nine. 

He shared a video on October 11 and was flagged to the police by NCMEC, the USA-based National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children.

Maltese police were alerted, arrested the man at his home in Birkirkara and seized his devices. 

Testifying in court on Wednesday, prosecuting inspector Carl Pace said certain pornographic images were still saved on his mobile phone.

After consulting with his lawyers, the defendant pleaded guilty and confirmed his admission after being given time to reconsider. 

'Troubled past'

The parties also filed a joint application requesting a suspended sentence as adequate punishment, coupled with a treatment order. 

The court heard the man had a “troubled past” and there were certain “unresolved issues” which could best be addressed through professional psychological help, explained lawyers Alfred Abela and René Darmanin.

In light of that admission, Magistrate Joseph Gatt declared the accused guilty and handed down a two-year jail term suspended for four years. 

The court also issued a three-year treatment order, explaining to the accused that this “was not punishment but for your own good.”

“It’s help,” explained the magistrate.

The court was to be updated on his progress at two-month intervals, the magistrate said. 

The prosecution requested the court to order the destruction of the hard drive and mobile phones seized from the accused’s home. 

The man’s name was also to be put down in the sex offenders’ register. 

The man’s name was banned by the court following a request by his lawyers which was not objected to by the prosecution.

Ishmael Vella was defence counsel.