A prisoner in Pierce County Washington on trial for a whole slew of sex crimes against children is being allowed to watch his homemade porno videos from behind bars.
Weldon Marc Gilbert was charged with counts of rape, molestation and sexual exploitation of children for a string of crimes involving as many as 40 individuals, some as young as 12 years old. When investigators searched his house, they seized homemade recordings of some of the incidents, collected in over 250 scenes in more than 100 videos. With Gilbert acting as his own attorney, however, the court is being forced to permit the man to review his own evidence while he makes an attempt to defend himself in court.“In my 16 years as a prosecutor, this is one of the most absurd and maddening results I’ve ever heard of, and this is the first time I’m aware of this happening in Pierce County,” says Pierce County prosecutor Mark Lindquist to ABC News. “We don’t have to turn over the guns used as evidence for a defendant … and it’s absurd that we have to turn over the child porn as evidence.”Pierce County Sheriff Paul Pastor tells Seattle's KOMO-TV, ''Make no mistake – I don't like it . . . But it is not my choice whether to do it or not to do it. There's no question that I don't like it. There's no question that this makes me grind my teeth.'' Normally all pornography is considered contraband in prison, but a legal loophole will allow Gilbert to gawk at his own footage while he prepares for trial. Gilbert will be able to view the 28 hours of film with a private investigator he hired in a prison room that will be visible to jail guards.Gilbert was working as a pilot for UPS when he was accused of bribing young boys with flying lessons, money and alcohol. From there, prosecutors say, he lured at least a dozen of them to his home where he molested them. Prosecutors add that the 50 year old would engage the teens in masturbation, oral and anal sex. One victim alleges that he lived with Gilbert after the passing of his father and traveled with the man internationally — while also engaging in oral and anal sex with Gilbert.That boy also says he received bruises from spankings carried out by Gilbert.Gilbert pleaded guilty in the US District Court two years ago to charges of producing child pornography and received a 25-year sentence as a result. Tacoma’s News Tribune, however, reports that the deal was contingent on Gilbert also pleading guilty in a Washington state court to sex crimes as well. Gilbert withdrew his guilty plea when he learned that a conviction there could get him life behind bars.