Peter Sotos
Biography
Peter Sotos (born 1960?) is a Chicago-born writer who has contributed an unprecedented examination of the peculiar motivations of sadistic sexual criminals. His works are often cited as conveying an uncanny understanding of myriad aspects of pornography. Most of his writings have focused on sexually violent pornography, particularly of that involving children.
In 1984, Sotos began producing a self-published newsletter or "fanzine" named Pure, notable as the first zine dedicated to serial killer lore. Sotos used a xeroxed image from a magazine of child pornography called Incest #4, as the frontpiece of issue #2 of Pure. A copy of that issue, which had obtained international distribution, was found in the apartment of graverobbers in Scotland in 1985. Scotland Yard got ahold of Sotos' zine and the three psychiatrists they showed it to concluded that he was a dangerous sex offender. They tracked Sotos to his hometown, thereby bringing the author of Pure to the attention of the Chicago authorities. In 1986, after nine months of police surveillance, Sotos' apartment was raided by the police, he was arrested and charged with obscenity and possession of child pornography. What followed was a three-year trial, countless psychiatric tests, and some jail time. Charges of obscenity were dropped, but Sotos was eventually found guilty of the possession charge, and was given a suspended sentence and a fine. Sotos was the first person in the United States ever to be charged for owning child pornography.
Sotos' writings explore sadistic and pedophilic sexual impulses in their many, often hidden, guises. Using first person narratives, his prose takes on the point of view of the sexual predator. Despite all his legal troubles, and the seemingly fatal stigma of being (falsely) labeled a pedophile, Sotos continues to garner support for his ideas and literary output.
He was until 2003 a seminal member of the industrial noise band Whitehouse. --http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Sotos [Dec 2005]