Where an offender's possession of child exploitation material is substantially explained by a psychiatric disorder such as chronic obsessive compulsive disorder, the sentencing court must give reduced weight to general deterrence and recognise the diminished moral culpability. The volume of material collected compulsively due to mental illness should not be treated as an aggravating factor in the same way as deliberate accumulation. Courts have not imposed sentences greater than 18 months' imprisonment for possession of child exploitation material simpliciter (as distinct from distribution or production).
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