A Tauranga man has been sentenced to seven months home detention and granted permanent name suppression after pleading guilty to two representative charges relating to knowingly possessing objectionable material depicting the sexual exploitation and abuse of children.
Investigators from the Department of Internal Affairs (DIA) digital child exploitation team were alerted by foreign law enforcement to a New Zealand-based individual making claims of abusing children and having access to child sexual abuse material.
The man was identified as the potential perpetrator through the investigation, and a search of his home was carried out.
Investigators then located and seized multiple electronic devices.
After a forensic examination, the man was charged with the possession of 374 images and videos depicting the “horrific and extreme sexual abuse and exploitation of children”, including “very young children and babies”, according to the DIA.
The DIA added investigators “undertook checks” to ensure that none of the images were created by the offender.
Digital child exploitation team manager Tim Houston said: “Every child deserves to feel safe, loved and nurtured. No child should ever be put in a position like this or be revictimized every time images of their abuse is distributed, shared or viewed.”
In 2023, the team undertook 47 investigations into child exploitation, resulting in the discovery of almost 3 million pieces of illegal material possessed by New Zealanders, the DIA said.
“This is in addition to the over 1 million attempts to access websites hosting child sexual abuse material that were blocked by the Digital Child Exploitation Filtering System.”
