Josh Duggar: Former reality tv star found guilty on child sex abuse images charges

Former reality TV star Josh Duggar has been found guilty of possessing and receiving child sex abuse images.

Duggar faces up to 20 years in prison and fines of up to $250,000 for each count. According to Judge Timothy Brooks, the sentencing hearing will begin sometime in April.

During the six-day trial, one of Duggar's friends, Bobye Holt, testified to prosecutors that Duggar had confessed to her that he'd molested young girls when he was a teenager.

The defence attempted to block Ms Holt's testimony, arguing that Duggar’s comments made to her were protected as statements made to a member of the clergy. Both Ms Holt and her husband are elders in Ms Holt’s church, and the defence claimed the statements were made after Duggar’s father sought their spiritual advice. The defence ultimately failed in their attempts to block the testimony.

Duggar's defence team argued that someone else had downloaded the images onto his computer.

During the trial, the defence only called two witnesses to testify on behalf of Duggar. The defence accused the police of “sloppy” work and put forth the possibility that Duggar’s computer was remotely accessed and the sex abuse images were placed there by someone else.

One of the defence’s witnesses was private forensic examiner Michele Bush. She claimed that the theory that someone accessed the computer remotely was not just plausible but “probable” and that it should be considered by the jury. She also noted that law enforcement did not seize Duggar’s work router, which she said could have provided more insight into whether or not it was accessed by another individual.

Department of Homeland Security agents said that anything that had not been seized has been “cleared” on the scene, claiming the router was therefore not relevant.

“We appreciate the jury’s lengthy deliberations, we respect the jury’s verdict, and we intend to appeal,” Duggar’s legal team said in a statement to NBC News following the verdict.

James Fottrell, the director of the Department of Justice High Technology Investigative Unit, personally analysed three devices seized from Duggar, and testified to his findings during the trial.

Duggar has been the subject of scrutiny since 2015, when he was accused of molesting four of his sisters and one of his babysitters. During that same year, Duggar apologised for a porn addiction and for being unfaithful to his wife.

When the myriad controversies came to a head, cable network TLC pulled "19 Kids and Counting" – which starred Duggar and his then wife – off the air.