The child abuse imagery was found on a hard drive left in a rental car. Photo / Thinkstock
A tourist who left child abuse imagery in a New Zealand rental car has avoided jail.
Sean Jamieson, 47, from England, was holidaying alone in 2013 when he hired a car to tour the country.
When he returned the car he left a hard drive in it that contained more than 52,000 pictures of child abuse.
Police examined the device and found the indecent photos and videos of children aged between 4 and 12 years old, Gazette Live reported.
Jamieson was arrested on his return to the UK.
The vast majority of the material was in the least serious category in law, Teesside Crown Court in the UK was told, but extreme films were also found.
He told police that got some sexual gratification, as well as "fascination and interest", Gazette Live reported.
Jamieson, of Middlesbrough, in the north-east of England, admitted one charge of making indecent photographs of children and three of possessing extreme pornographic images.
His lawyer told the court that he was previously of good character, made full and frank admissions, and pleaded guilty at an early stage.
Judge Tony Briggs said Jamieson was able to avoid a jail sentence because he wanted to be rehabilitated.
Jamieson was sentenced to a community order with three years' supervision, a sex offender treatment programme and a residence requirement, according to Gazette Live.
He was also given a sexual offences prevention order and will be on the sex offenders' register for five years.
A man known to the victim has been charged with assault.