Offending traced to mobile phone

12 June 2009

An Internal Affairs censorship inspector unmasked a physical sex offender by tracing child sexual abuse photos to the offender’s mobile phone.

Judge Graeme Noble in the Dunedin District Court today sentenced a Mosgiel man to four and a half years jail after he earlier pleaded guilty to 20 charges involving the sexual violation of an eight year old boy and making, distributing and possessing objectionable publications.

Crown solicitor Craig Power, for the Department of Internal Affairs, in his sentencing submission suggested a jail term of five to five and a half years to reflect the harm caused to the boy, the offender’s abuse of trust, premeditation of some of the offending, the 18-year disparity between the offender and the boy at the time and the boy’s vulnerability.

Internal Affairs National Manager of Censorship Compliance, Steve O’Brien, said an inspector, monitoring the Internet for child sex publication offenders, downloaded two files from a New Zealand user.

“We executed a search warrant on the offender's home and found a collection of over 3800 child sexual abuse files on his computer system,” Mr O’Brien said. “Two images, depicting a physical act of child sexual abuse, were created by a mobile phone identical to the offender’s and we referred this matter to the police.”

Mr O’Brien said the result should act as a warning to all offenders that the Department has the skills to track them down.
Media contact:
Trevor Henry, communications adviser, Department of Internal Affairs
Ph 04 495 7211; cell 0275 843 679