Child sex abuse pictures detected

10/11/2006

A 19-year-old Glen Eden man has been sentenced to 130 hours community work and ordered to pay court costs of $650 after pleading guilty to 20 charges involving the possession and distribution of pictures involving the sexual abuse of children.

Judge David Mather, in the Waitakere District Court (November 9), also ordered the man to undergo 24 months supervision and complete a SAFE sex offender’s programme and any other treatment and counselling his probation officer directs.

The Department of Internal Affairs censorship compliance manager, Steve O’Brien, said a publications inspector, monitoring the Internet for child pornography offenders, detected the man in April and May last year sharing and making available pictures of children in sexual acts. The Department seized his computer and found more than a third of some 440 still and moving pictures were objectionable.

“Offenders should realise that these pictures are the result of adults abusing children and when they download this material they are perpetuating this awful industry,” Steve O’Brien said.

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