How did paedophile Stuart Hazell find gratification on fashion sites?

Stuart Hazell pleaded guilty to the murder of 12-year-old Tia Sharp after five days on trial. Videos he had taken of the girl sleeping and applying cream to her legs revealed his paedophilic desires for and obsession with her, and chilling evidence of a brutal sexual attack ending in a fatal smothering was presented in court.

The 38-year-old man reportedly amended his plea of innocence in light of overwhelming indicators to the contrary verdict, apparently hoping to spare those in the courtroom the tribulation of poring over photographic mementos of his horrific acts and the torment of contemplating the torture the girl endured.

While seemingly capturing footage of the girl for his perverse pleasure, Hazell was also viewing pornography of a paedophilic and incestuous nature. The accessibility of these illegal sites is both baffling and harrowing, but also disconcerting is the fact that the man has utilised legitimate sites in order to seek gratification.

The Guardian reports that Hazell "visited legal internet sites such as fashionmag.com and carried out searches for young girls in sexual postures", without further information. The unsettling fact that this apparently brings up results is not acknowledged in this particular piece.

Should I expect to find images of under-18s in compromising and suggestive poses on legitimate websites?

There should be no circumstances in which material of this nature might be viewed in a lawful manner, so the fact that it seemingly can be suggests some highly troubling societal issues, and evidences many people's protestations about the increasing prevalence of the sexualisation of children in the public eye.

Fashion plays a significant role in this worrying trend, and many people are calling for change and stricter legislation in the industry. The highly-esteemed publication Vogue experienced widespread criticism after featuring ten-year-old model Thylane Lena-Rose Blondeau, posing provocatively and wearing make-up and stilettos, in its glossy pages.

Even brands which use adult models seek out those who look younger, and as such evidence a concerning perspective of women and attractiveness when presenting them in sexualised situations. The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) recently banned an American Apparel ad which showed a sullen, fresh-faced model exposing her knickers and wearing knee-high socks.

However, the problem is more widespread, with Disney now coming under fire for allegedly sexualising Brave protagonist Princess Merida by overhauling her appearance, giving her a tighter dress and more voluptuous hips. In the film, the character is 16 years old. It brings into question who these companies are trying to impress when they illustrate young girls in this way.

Would Hazell have felt and acted upon paedophilic desires for Tia Sharp regardless of legal websites depicting children in suggestive poses and the sexualisation of under-18s? Quite probably. Does this mean that we should sit back as these youngsters are exploited, and as the sexualisation of children becomes normalised in the public hive mind? I think not.