A psychiatrist from Lewisham who helped run a dark web site dedicated to child sexual abuse has been jailed for six years. 

Dr Kabir Garg, of Station Road in Ladywell, was one of the moderators on a site called ‘The Annex’ which had 90,000 members. 

Hundreds of links to child abuse photos and videos were shared each way on the dark web site. 

The site has since been shut down, but it was run like a company with a team of 30 admins who worked shifts to keep it running smoothly. 

When 33-year-old Garg was arrested at his flat in November 2022, the site was open on his laptop and he was logged into his moderator account. 

As well as enforcing the rules of the site, Garg provided users with advice on how to share links to child sexual abuse material while evading law enforcement. 

Over 7,000 images and videos of child abuse were recovered, displaying that Garg had a clear sexual interest in children. 

On his laptop were a number of academic papers showing he was fully aware of the impact of child sexual abuse, including one titled ‘Effects and Aftermath of Rape’. 

Garg pleaded guilty to eight charges including facilitating the sexual exploitation of children, three counts each of making and distributing indecent images of children, and possession of prohibited images. 

He was sentenced at Woolwich Crown Court on Friday (June 23) to six years in prison. 

MORE LEWISHAM NEWS

Adam Priestley, from the National Crime Agency, said: “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. 

“He then ensured he was such a trusted and respected member that he was invited to become a member of staff, involved in its daily management. This organisation and willingness to enable other offenders raises his criminality to a higher, more appalling level. 

“There are hundreds of thousands of members of such sites on the dark web, but few of them are prepared to commit to being a member of staff, which involves dedicating a lot of time for no payment. 

“As a doctor of psychiatry, he knew full well the devastating impact and trauma that abuse causes children, but this clearly did not deter him. 

“The NCA has the determination and skill to identify the most dangerous offenders who use the dark web in an attempt to hide their identity. We will stop at nothing to ensure they face justice and to protect children from sexual abuse.” 

Five men in the US have also been convicted of crimes related to their involvement in running the site.