Jailed for child sex abuse images

17 June 2009

A Picton man with more than 10,000 child sexual abuse images on his computer was sentenced to two years and eight months jail in the Blenheim District Court today.

A 54-year-old service station attendant had earlier pleaded guilty to 10 charges of distributing and 20 charges of possessing objectionable publications. Judge Tony Zohrab did not consider home detention appropriate.

Crown solicitor, Hugh Boyd-Wilson, in a sentencing submission for the Department of Internal Affairs, said aggravating features included the age range of children from the very young through to teenagers, the number of images, distribution had occurred as long ago as 2005 and that the man used several different methods on the internet to share the pictures.

Internal Affairs National Manager of Censorship Compliance, Steve O’Brien, said the offending activities were detected in America and the Department informed.

“The man told us he had been careful not to share his image collection with any other internet users but our analysis of his computer told a different story,” Steve O’Brien said. “This case shows again the international cooperation involved in uncovering such offenders and our expertise in locating them and being able to reveal what’s hidden in their computers.”

Media contact:
Trevor Henry, communications adviser, Department of Internal Affairs
Ph 04 495 7211; cell 0275 843 679