Warning: This story mentions child sexual exploitation

A Tauranga man caught with hundreds of images and videos depicting “horrific” child sexual abuse has been sentenced to seven months’ home detention.

The man in his 50s was sentenced in the Tauranga District Court this month after he pleaded guilty on May 13 to two representative charges of knowingly possessing objectionable material depicting sexual exploitation and abuse of children.

He was granted permanent name suppression. The Bay of Plenty Times has applied to the court for sentencing notes in the case.

The maximum penalty for each charge is 10 years in prison.

The charges relate to possessing 374 images and videos depicting “horrific and extreme” sexual abuse and exploitation of young children and babies, the Department of Internal Affairs’ Digital Child Exploitation Team manager Tim Houston said.

He said the man’s offending came to light after a European law enforcement agency alerted the team in May last year to a New Zealand-based person who had made claims online he sexually abused a child and had access to child sexual abuse materials.

Following an investigation, the man’s home was searched in June last year, and electronic devices were seized including two cellphones.

Houston said a forensic examination of one of the phones revealed 374 objectionable images and videos.

He said the offender made a full admission and none of the images was created by him.

Houston said children were re-victimised every time images of their abuse were distributed, shared or viewed.

“Child sexual exploitation material depicts real children who have had real harm perpetrated against them, and these images depict a real crime scene.”

He said the Digital Child Exploitation Team carried out 47 investigations last year into child exploitation which resulted in the discovery of almost 3 million pieces of illegal material possessed by New Zealanders.

Houston said more than 1m attempts were also made to access websites hosting child sexual abuse material that were blocked by the digital child exploitation filtering system.

The team was committed to keeping New Zealanders safe from harm from this type of offending and to preventing the spread of child sexual exploitation material online, he said.

Houston encouraged parents and caregivers to talk to their children about their online activities and said there was advice and support online about how to keep their tamariki safe at KeepItRealOnline.govt.nz.

Sexual abuse: Where to get help

If it’s an emergency and you feel that you or someone else is at risk, call 111.

If you’ve ever experienced sexual assault or abuse and need to talk to someone, contact Safe to Talk confidentially, any time 24/7:

• - Call 0800 044 334 • Text 4334
• - Email [email protected]
• - For more info or to web chat visit safetotalk.nz

Alternatively, contact your local police station – click here for a list.

If you have been sexually assaulted, remember it’s not your fault.

Sandra Conchie is a senior journalist at the Bay of Plenty Times and Rotorua Daily Post who has been a journalist for 24 years. She covers mainly police, court and other justice stories, as well as general news. She has been a Canon Media Awards regional/community reporter of the year.