Heum not charged, but won't leave jail

Chennai: William Heum who is facing charges for alleged sex abuse and has been under arrest since his arrest last November, has pleaded not guilty.

A Dutch national, Heum is accused of uploading child pornography on the Internet.

And even though the Chennai police failed to file a chargesheet against the accused, Heum, who ran an orphanage in Tamil Nadu, would not be released. He has already expressed his inability to pay the bail amount. Heum has also sought help from the Dutch embassy.

He also faces charges under the new IT act, which came into affect in October 27, for posting pornographic material on the internet. The other pending case includes a 2002 case where he is accused of molesting 40 orphans in his orphanage in Mamallapuram.

If convicted in these cases, he is likely to face a minimum of 7 years of rigorous imprisonment and a fine of upto Rs 10 lakhs.