WARNING: This story deals with child sexual exploitation material and may be upsetting. 

A laptop technician made a startling discovery when an elderly man brought his device in for repair – hundreds of explicit images of children in sexual positions. 

Now Ton Kaan has appeared for sentencing in the Whangārei District Court before Judge Taryn Bayley on 18 charges of knowingly possessing objectionable material. 

Police executed a search warrant in March 2023 after being alerted by the technician and located hundreds of pictures and videos on Kaan’s device that were deemed to be objectionable and involved the sexual exploitation of children. 

A sample of 18 images depicted sexual activity of young children and bestiality, in regard to which Kaan pleaded guilty. Seven of the images fell into the most serious category A, with five in category B and six within C. 

Police prosecutor Stu Wilkes said Kaan was digging deep online because he could not find the type of pornography that met his needs. 

“He said he didn’t like what was there so he’s looked for some other stuff. This is not simply a click away. You have to go through a process to get to this type of material. 

“He didn’t need to dig as deep as he was digging,” Wilkes said. 

Wilkes said this type of offending was a global problem affecting victims every time the images are searched, shared and stored. 

“This will not be tolerated when we are dealing with the most vulnerable people in our community, young people.“ 

Wilkes was also critical of comments Kaan made that he did not know images of children in explicit poses were illegal. 

“Where’s he been living? Under a rock? We all know that this is child pornography. The law says it doesn’t matter, you knew. He’s a grown man,” Wilkes said. 

Kaan’s lawyer Matthew Ridgley rebutted police submissions and said a lot of the images were cartoons, which led to a fundamental misunderstanding. 

“He’s done what he can to address the underlying issues,” Ridgely submitted. 

“He understands the impact of his offending now.” 

Kaan has since engaged with clinical treatment and also attended restorative justice conferences with organisations that work to prevent child exploitation. 

Judge Bayley said Kaan’s collection was significant and contributed to the global demand of child exploitation. 

“All of the images were of course horrific and abhorrent. 

“The children shown in those images are revictimised every time someone distributes or views those pictures or videos,” Judge Bayley said. 

Judge Bayley accepted Kaan had accepted responsibility for his offending, regarding which report writers noted the risk of reoffending was below average. 

“Ordinarily it would be a term of imprisonment for you, however, home detention would allow you to continue treatment. If you cannot access the appropriate treatment in prison, your risk to reoffending will not be met.” 

Kaan was sentenced to nine months’ home detention. Due to the nature of offending, he is not required to be added to the child sex offender registry. 

SEXUAL HARM 

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.

Shannon Pitman is a Whangārei-based reporter for Open Justice covering courts in the Te Tai Tokerau region. She is of Ngāpuhi/ Ngāti Pūkenga descent and has worked in digital media for the past five years. She joined NZME in 2023.