Anger as child porn collector's name stays secret

A prominent Manawatu man who downloaded more than 300,000 pornographic images - many featuring children - is at the centre of an outcry after the sentencing judge granted him permanent name suppression.

The man had been charged with 25 counts of possessing objectionable material and one of distributing pornographic images on the internet, after an American FBI investigation led to his arrest last year.

He was sentenced to four months' home detention when he appeared in the Palmerston North District Court on Friday.

Many of the images had young naked girls posing in sexualised positions.

But Judge Grant Fraser granted permanent name suppression to protect the man's family, his mental state, his wife's job and his ability to rehabilitate.

"I've also accepted without hesitation the public interest and the public being aware of the character of you, and I've also taken into account the seriousness of your offending," the Manawatu Standard reported the judge as saying. "In this case there is no offending against any individuals within the New Zealand community.

"Therefore publicity in my view is not required to flush out any potential offenders or to enable members of the community to keep themselves safe from you."

Crown prosecutor Ben Vanderkolk said granting name suppression could be seen as protecting a person in a privileged position.

He also disputed the need to protect the man's children as they were well informed about the offending.

Denise Ritchie, founder of the anti-child pornography group Stop Demand, said the man's sexual interest in young girls and his prolific appetite for images contributed to demand and supply, leading to more children being violated and degraded.

"Yet Judge Fraser's decision suggests that if you participate in and fuel the global sexual exploitation of children but you are a prominent member of the New Zealand community, the courts will protect your interests. This is a disappointing and unacceptable message."

The Maori Party joined the chorus of condemnation yesterday.

Justice spokeswoman Rahui Katene called the suppression and sentence of home detention outrageous, saying: "We urge the prosecution to appeal the sentence so this man can never ever again be allowed to continue his sick actions in a veil of secrecy."

- NZPA