Gibraltar woman charged with making child abuse image and sharing them in message groups

A 35-year-old Gibraltar woman has been charged with multiple offences relating to indecent images of children following an extensive police investigation.

Sarah-Anne Mary Noguera appeared before the Magistrates’ Court this morning facing eight separate charges, including possession, distribution and making indecent photographs of children, as well as possessing extreme pornography.

The investigation began in June when the National Centre for Missing & Exploited Children received reports about indecent images of children being shared through messaging groups.

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Police subsequently executed a search warrant at a residence in Devil’s Tower Road, seizing several devices. 

Noguera was arrested the same day on suspicion of possession and taking indecent images of children.

Following extensive analysis of the seized devices, she was arrested again yesterday on additional charges. 

After being interviewed, she was formally charged with three counts of unlawful possession of indecent photographs of children, three counts of distributing indecent photographs of a child, one count of taking or making indecent photographs of children, and one count of possessing extreme pornography.

Noguera remained in police custody overnight before appearing in court today.

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A police spokesperson said the charges demonstrated the force’s commitment to protecting children from exploitation. 

“Safeguarding children and vulnerable adults remains a top priority, and these charges should reassure our community of the effectiveness of online monitoring, partnership work and the digital forensics undertaken by dedicated professionals to uncover these complex and abhorrent crimes,” they said.

The case highlights the ongoing work by Gibraltar specialist units to tackle child abuse in the territory.

The case comes less than a year after another shocking child abuse conviction in Gibraltar, when Graham Southwell, 63, was found guilty of 19 offences against children spanning a quarter of a century. 

According to Gibraltar Social Democrats, sexual offence reports to police have risen sharply from 81 in 2021/2022 to 151 in 2023/2024. 

Gibraltar’s Financial Intelligence Unit also reported an increase in cases linked to child sexual exploitation via the darknet in their 2024 annual report.

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