Ohio Hospital Worker Sentenced for Child Porn Possession, Expressed Desire to Legalize Child Rape

A hospital worker in Ohio has been sentenced to 7 to 9½ years in prison for possessing child sexual abuse material and expressing views that child rape should be legalized. Benjamin Naylor, 32, of Deer Park, Ohio, was found with a trove of disturbing images and videos of minors, some as young as two months old.

Cincinnati Police Detective Mary Braun described the material as some of the "absolute worst" she had ever encountered during her investigations. During a sentencing hearing, Braun informed the judge that Naylor had engaged in online chats with a user named "Active Perv" where he detailed fantasies about sexual encounters with minors and expressed a belief that child rape should not be criminalized, but rather legalized.

Naylor's downfall began when he was ensnared by an online vigilante group, Predator Poachers, who posed as a 13-year-old boy. According to the Cincinnati Enquirer, Naylor told the decoy, "Age is just a number," before being confronted at the Cincinnati hospital where he was employed. He subsequently confessed to exchanging child pornography.

Authorities arrested Naylor and discovered extensive child sex abuse material on his cellphone. Prosecutors stated that in one video, a child could be heard screaming for an attacker to stop. During the sentencing, Assistant Prosecutor Elyse Deters noted Naylor's stance, reporting, "He does not think child rape should be criminalized. In fact, he wants it legalized."

Naylor pleaded guilty to eight counts of pandering sexually oriented matter involving a minor and one count of illegal use of a minor or impaired person in a state of nudity. His defense attorney argued that Naylor suffered from intellectual disabilities, was legally blind, had never had a significant other, and did not understand the gravity of his actions.

Judge Wende Cross rejected these arguments during sentencing, stating, "Your diagnosis does not excuse this conduct, and it does not diminish the harm to the children depicted in this material." The judge emphasized that Naylor was an adult who made choices over a sustained period and was accountable for them.

In addition to his prison sentence, Naylor is required to register as a tier two sex offender and will serve five years of post-release control. He must also undergo treatment as part of his sentence.