A 26-year-old man from Pembroke on Wednesday pleaded guilty to buying and publishing child sex abuse material from the largest pornographic platform worldwide, known as KidFlix.

It was heard in court that in February, Maltese police received information from German authorities that the man had allegedly bought child sex abuse material and subsequently published it.

Last week, police announced they were roped in a Europol investigation into one of the largest platforms for online child sexual abuse material in the world.

The investigation targeted "KidFlix," one of the largest platforms for child sexual abuse material (CSAM). Between April 2022 and March 2025, the platform attracted 1.8 million users globally and hosted around 72,000 videos.

The operation, which involved law enforcement agencies from over 35 countries, is the largest of its kind and has already resulted in the identification of 1,400 suspects and the arrest of 79 individuals worldwide.

The prosecuting inspectors told the court on Wednesday that upon his arrest, the accused cooperated in full and immediately gave them all the passwords to his devices, upon their request. During the interrogation, he immediately admitted to the charges and agreed that he needs treatment to address his mental health problem.

In light of this, the prosecution requested the court to award the accused a suspended sentence and to issue a treatment order. Defence lawyer Veronica Anne Spiteri requested bail and replied that when considering all the facts, a suspended sentence as punishment is unreasonable.

The prosecution objected out of fear that the man would not show up to court. However, Spiteri argued that her client was arrested on 10 March and given police bail on the day.

She emphasised that he reported to the police station as he was called in, and clarified that since a month had already passed, if he wanted to flee the country, he would have already done so. She also confirmed that the accused will live at his mother's fixed residence.

The court also heard that the accused is a fresh graduate from the University of Malta.

A ban on the publication of names was requested by the defence and it was granted by the court. At first, the prosecution objected to the request, however Magistrate Sant Lia deemed the fact that the accused's name will be placed on the public sex offender's list to be enough punishment.

The bail request was granted by the court and an additional supervision order was issued until a decision on the sentence is delivered.

Inspectors Carl Pace and Wayne Buhagiar prosecuted.

The court was presided over by Nadine Sant Lia. Defence lawyer Veronica Anne Spiteri represented the accused.