Internet child pornography sentencing highlights users’ false views

23/07/2003

The sentencing today of Auckland information systems analyst on 25 Internet child pornography charges graphically highlighted how child pornography can reinforce the false view held by some that sex with children is acceptable.

The man was sentenced to 300 hours community work, and the court ordered forfeiture and destruction of computers used to commit the offences and objectionable material seized under a search warrant.

The General Manager of the Department of Internal Affairs Gaming and Censorship Regulation Group, Keith Manch, said that the case involved the trading of images of children having sex with adult men, and explicit Internet chat between adult men wanting, and describing, sex with young girls.

“Such links between explicit chat and real images of adults having sex with children are common among those trading Internet child pornography,” Mr Manch said.

“Even if a particular individual does not go on to physically abuse children, their trading or collecting of child pornography and exchange of messages in chatrooms dedicated to adult/child sex help create an environment where some people believe that sex with children is acceptable.

“The Department is sending a message that such behaviour is not acceptable, and we will take action against New Zealanders who trade or collect child pornography.”

In this case, in April 2001 a Department Inspector found a New Zealander in an Internet relay chat channel requesting images of young girls engaged in sex acts.

The New Zealander was identified as the accused and located in Nelson. A search warrant was executed on his home in August 2001. Since then he has moved to Auckland.

Analysis of his computer found several chat logs in which he described having sexual intercourse with a 15-year-old girl and his desire to engage in sexual acts with girls as young as 11. Hundreds of log files recording “cybersex” between adult men and young girls, including between he and people who stated that they were young girls, were also found.

The Department and Police found no evidence of his having physically abused children.

His computer and disks contained 362 files (227 image files and 135 text files) that described or depicted children in sexually explicit poses and engaged in sexual acts with adult men, including those that claimed to be of incest.

The images he traded and collected were not of New Zealand children.

“However, that is no defence,” Mr Manch said. “If it was, then we would be saying that adults having sex with children is okay as long as the children are not in New Zealand. That is clearly nonsense. The law is part of international efforts aimed at protecting children from abuse and exploitation.”

Media contact:

Keith Manch
General Manager Gaming and Censorship Regulation Phone 04 495 9449, Cellular 027 445 6420

Vincent Cholewa
Communications Advisor Phone 04 495 9350, Cellular 025 272 4270