Indian-origin psychiatrist in London sentenced for role in child sex abuse network

• London-based Indian-origin psychiatrist sentenced to six years for operating child sex abuse website
• Dr Kabir Garg's involvement as an operator of "The Annex" with over 90,000 members globally uncovered by UK's NCA
• Garg pleaded guilty to charges including facilitating child sexual exploitation, possession of prohibited images, and distributing indecent images

A London-based Indian-origin psychiatrist has been sentenced to six years in jail by a UK court for his involvement in operating a child sex abuse website.

Dr Kabir Garg, 33, residing in Lewisham, South-east London, was revealed by the UK's National Crime Agency (NCA) as one of the operators of the notorious "The Annex" website, which had amassed over 90,000 members globally, according to a report by the BBC.

Garg, who was sentenced on June 23 at Woolwich Crown Court, has been placed on the Sex Offenders Register for life. In January of this year, he pleaded guilty to eight charges, including facilitating the sexual exploitation of children, making and distributing indecent images of children, and possession of prohibited images.

The NCA's Adam Priestley stated, "Garg was involved in facilitating child sexual abuse on a significant scale. He used the dark web to access a global community of paedophiles sharing and discussing horrific crimes against children." Priestley further explained that while there are hundreds of thousands of members on such dark web sites, very few are willing to commit to being staff members, which requires dedicating significant time without financial compensation.

The arrest of Dr Kabir Garg took place in November 2022 at his residence in Lewisham, during a coordinated operation with international partners. At the time of his arrest, the website was open on his laptop, with Garg logged into his moderator account, as mentioned in a statement by the UK's national crime agency.

Furthermore, the authorities arrested a 34-year-old individual named Matthew Smith last year for his alleged involvement in child sexual abuse in India. During the arrest, law enforcement recovered thousands of images and videos depicting sexual harassment inflicted on children.

During the investigation, authorities discovered over 7,000 indecent images and videos, as well as several medical journal articles, which Garg had obtained as a psychiatrist. One of the journals was titled "A Study on Child Abuse India."The NCA's investigation unveiled that "The Annex," which is no longer active, operated similarly to a company, with a team of approximately 30 administrators. Garg initially joined as a member but eventually earned the trust to become a moderator. His responsibilities included enforcing site rules and removing non-compliant members.