Convicted pedophile gets to watch child porn in Wash. jail

(CBS/AP) PIERCE COUNTY, Washington - Authorities in Washington State say they're outraged that Marc Weldon Gilbert, who's already admitted molesting young boys, will be allowed to watch videos he made of the abuse while he sits in jail awaiting trial.

"The whole thing is just dirty," said Pierce County Sheriff's Detective Ed Troyer on Wednesday. "Now that victims know he's going to be watching this, they're going to feel victimized again. This is our call to action to get the law changed."

Washington's Supreme Court ruled in 2007 that upon request, prosecutors must give defense lawyers copies of evidence used to support child pornography charges. It appears nevertheless rare that defense attorneys actually make that request.

But, Gilbert is representing himself. A judge ruled this week that the prosecutor's office has to provide copies for him to watch at the jail. The order bars him from being alone when he watches the videos.

He will review them in a room visible to corrections officers with a defense investigator present, Troyer said. The sheriff's office is still setting up the logistics of when Gilbert will be able to view the pornography and how much time he will be allowed to spend doing so, according to Troyer.

More than 100 videos were seized from Gilbert's Lake Tapps home after his arrest in 2007.

Gilbert used money, alcohol and manipulation to sexually exploit more than a dozen boys as young as 10 years old. Gilbert pleaded guilty in 2007 to federal charges, including sexual exploitation of a child, in exchange for a 25-year sentence. He still faces state charges in Pierce County.