Jail terms for child sex abuse offences

7/04/2009

Two men have been jailed this week after Internal Affairs Department inspectors found evidence of child sex abuse images on their computers.

In Wanganui District Court yesterday a 53-year-old gardener, of Wanganui, got two years on two charges involving distribution and possession of objectionable publications. His conviction followed a complaint from Belgium in 2007 that a New Zealander had uploaded to a Belgian website a picture of a very young girl in a sexual act with an adult male.

The Department found that in 2008 the man had also downloaded objectionable material on a laptop while on home detention after being released from prison on a charge relating to grooming a 14-year-old girl.

A customer service representative, 26, of Burwood, was today sentenced in the Christchurch District Court to 18 months in prison on 18 charges of possessing an objectionable publication. His computer system contained some 4000 objectionable images.

Last Friday in the Christchurch District Court, a contract supervisor, 46, of Christchurch, was sentenced to eight months' home detention with special conditions and 160 hours of community work on 29 charges relating to possession or distribution of child sex abuse images.

Internal Affairs Deputy Secretary, Keith Manch, said these cases are a warning to offenders that in many cases the courts are prepared to send them to jail.

“We have the means to track down Internet users trading in these pictures of adults sexually abusing children,” Keith Manch said. “These offenders perpetuate the victimisation of these young ones and are accountable.

“The Department is part of a worldwide effort fighting this trade and it is only a matter of time before inspectors knock on an offender’s door.

“In the last week the Department executed 19 search warrants throughout the country and, once we have completed our investigations, the courts will have another batch of offenders to deal with.”

Media contact:
Keith Manch, Deputy Secretary, Department of Internal Affairs
Ph 04 495 9329; cell 021 227 6363
Trevor Henry, communications adviser, Department of Internal Affairs
Ph 04 495 7211; cell 0275 843 679