AAP
September 09, 2009 04:44pm

COMMONWEALTH prosecutors have dropped charges against a man accused of sharing a video on the internet of a man swinging a baby.
Christopher Charles Illingworth, a 60-year-old freelance journalist from Maroochydore on Queensland's Sunshine Coast, was charged over allegedly sharing the video using the Liveleak website.

The video features a nine-month-old baby continually being swung around by its limbs, for about three and a half minutes, sometimes completing 360 degree loops over the man's head.

A Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions spokeswoman said the charges had been dropped.

"This prosecution was discontinued ... after the matter was reviewed by the CDPP in accordance with the prosecution policy of the Commonwealth taking into account all the circumstances involved including the classification given to the material by the Classification Board," she said.

The video originated from either Russia or Ukraine and was traced to Illingworth's home, which was subsequently raided in November 2008 by police officers from Task Force Argos, which targets child pornography and abuse.

Mr Illingworth, a father of four, had argued the video simply showed a Russian circus family undertaking training.

His lawyer argued in court that under commonwealth law the video could not be deemed as torture, cruelty or physical abuse because it appeared the baby had not been harmed.