Featured image credit: Australian Border Force
A paedophile who sells life-like dolls of children has claimed to be an 'artist' after Australian custom officials cracked down on shipments being imported into the country.
The sexualised dolls, which resemble children as young as five, are sold via a Japanese website to paedophiles worldwide.
The sites founder Shin Takagi is a self-confessed paedophile. He has defended his range of dolls, telling Fairfax Media: "I am an artist".
Earlier this year, Takagi claimed the dolls act as a substitute to satisfy the needs of paedophiles, preventing them from committing crime against real children.
"I am helping people express their desires, legally and ethically. It's not worth living if you have to live with repressed desire," he told the Atlantic.
The dolls that are available on the site are often dressed in lace, leather lingerie, or completely naked. Many of the dolls are sprawled out on a bed or laid in other provocative positions.
The rubber dolls that are being imported into Australia have been destroyed or used for further investigations, a spokesperson from the Department of Immigration and Border Protect told Daily Mail Australia.
The spokesperson added that owning child-like dolls are considered 'child exploitation material'.
"Seized goods, once forfeited, can be destroyed by the Australian Border Force. The destruction of seized goods may be postponed while investigations and/or prosecution activities relating to the importation are progressed," the spokesperson said.
"Under the Customs Act 1901, the penalties for intentionally importing objectionable goods include a fine of up to $450,000, imprisonment for 10 years, or both.
"The Australian Border Force works closely with the AFP and state police agencies to target and seize this objectionable material at the border, and bring before the courts those that seek to possess or are in possession of a child sex doll."
More than 60,000 Australians have signed a petition to ban the sale and import of the goods.
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Words by James Dawson
Featured Image Credit:Topics: Paedophile, Australia