The vocalist and guitarist of Inquisition has been accused of possessing child pornography.
The lead singer and guitarist of the American black metal band Inquisition was accused of possessing child pornography. The case occurred in 2007 and was reported by the website MetalSucks .
The documents state that the 'National Center for Missing and Abused Children' became aware of an account uploading sexually explicit photographs of 'young females in early adolescence or pre-adolescence' to the photo-sharing website Photobucket in November 2006. After tracing the user's IP address, the Everett Police Department was contacted and subsequently launched an investigation.
Although the Photobucket account username suggested its owner was a woman, this investigation eventually led the police to the leader of the Inquisition, Dagon. In late 2007, Detective Karen Kowalchyk visited Dagon and his wife at their home. The wife admitted that they were having marital problems, and that her husband liked her to dress as a girl when they had sex, and that she was worried he might be looking for child pornography online.
Dagon's computer was seized, and investigators discovered that 'efforts were made to clean up' up to 2,000 files. Some of these files were recovered and proved to be photos of Dagon and his wife from the Inquisition, as well as child pornography involving boys and girls.
Dagon released a statement regarding the case:
“To all fans, supporters, and close friends, I would like to clarify some misinformation released by MetalSucks regarding a personal matter that occurred in 2007: first, you must take into account that everything MetalSucks published was taken from court documents of accusation, rather than what was proven in 2007. Second, I never pleaded guilty, and the original charges were dropped after the courts examined all the evidence. I am not a sex offender, and I was absolutely innocent of all charges. The plea bargain was something the prosecutor insisted on, and for the defense, it was the best option to end a lengthy legal process. Furthermore, the background check page circulating is not entirely accurate; it definitely does not show what a police background check would show.”
With all due respect to you, please read my statement.
I made a very reckless choice in 2007, which led to some legal problems. After the investigation was conducted, a year and a half after the initial charges, they were dropped and a settlement was reached. The investigation determined that I had nothing that fell under the original accusation.
The police report suggested that I had deleted and obstructed evidence, and I deny having done so; however, the obstruction charge was still part of the agreement, as was the other charge mentioned. This second charge relates to viewing pornography in a public area and, again, was taken as part of the plea agreement. To be clear, I have no sexual offenses, this did not involve anyone other than myself, and I have moved forward since 2009, having complied with all aspects of the law.
I would like to maintain my focus on my music and my absolute dedication to the art of Black Metal. Despite any personal opinions and judgments that followers and defenders of our music may have, I am a rather private person and have never cared about destructive sensationalism, preferring to keep what I feel is private, private.
I hope my level of transparency is understood, and I thank you, as always, for supporting Inquisition.”
Dagon also had problems with the police in 2006 for his involvement with Nazism and white supremacy.
The last two albums by Inquisition , Obscure Verses for the Multiverse (2013) and Bloodshed Across the Empyrean Altar Beyond the Celestial Zenith (2016), were released by the label Season Of Mist, which announced that they will no longer work with the band. Inquisition was also removed from the lineup of Maryland Deathfest, a famous extreme music festival in the United States, as well as from the tour with Satyricon.
