Police acknowledge sentencing of James Nielsen

2 April 2019

JOINT MEDIA RELEASE FROM POLICE AND THE DEPARTMENT OF INTERNAL AFFAIRS:

New Zealand Police and the Department of Internal Affairs acknowledge the sentencing of James Nielsen for charges relating to child exploitation material and serious sexual offences against two children.

The 52-year-old man was convicted of several charges including sexual violation, attempted rape, and indecent assault in addition to charges of making, possessing and distributing objectionable material.

He was sentenced to 8 years 7 months imprisonment with a minimum period of imprisonment of 5 years 8 months in the High Court at Auckland today.

The outcome was a result of a joint investigation by New Zealand Police and the Department of Internal Affairs.

The joint investigation was initiated by a referral from the Department of Internal Affairs around illegal online activity. Both Police and the Department of Internal Affairs staff executed a search warrant which led Police to investigate the matter further.

Tim Houston, Manager of the Department of Internal Affairs’ Censorship Unit says that this investigation reinforces that it is not safe to assume offenders are only viewing objectionable material involving children.

“Our Investigators approach these types of allegations with this knowledge front of mind."

This investigation highlights the dedication law enforcement authorities have in their combined efforts at victim identification and rescue, and community safety and resilience. New Zealand authorities including Internal Affairs, Customs and Police work tirelessly to detect criminals and bring them to account.

Detective Inspector Colin Higson says Police take allegations regarding the sexual exploitation of children and young people extremely seriously.

“Today’s sentencing should serve as a reminder that we will thoroughly investigate and hold those people involved in this type of criminal activity accountable,” Detective Inspector Colin Higson says.

“We have dedicated Child Protection Team investigators to handle these types of sensitive cases and we encourage anyone with information about this type of offending to contact Police.”

See also: https://www.police.govt.nz/news/release/police-acknowledge-sentencing-james-nielsen