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Strict bail conditions have been imposed on a former parliamentary hopeful sent for trial today on child pornography charges.
At the end of a two-day depositions hearing in Rangiora District Court today, Justices of the Peace Nick Atkins and John O'Hara found there was sufficient evidence to commit the 59-year-old man for trial on 24 charges.
The man, whose interim name suppression was continued until a pre-trial conference in Christchurch District Court in May, faces 10 charges under the Films, Videos and Publications Classification Act of making an objectionable publication and 14 of possessing an objectionable publication.
Charges relate to offences allegedly committed from 1999 to 2006 and arose from extensive files, photos and documents found on the man's desktop computer.
If convicted he is liable for a prison term not exceeding 10 years for making an objectionable publication and a term of up to five years for possessing one.
The man, who is alleged to have sent photos of his penis over the internet and chatted sexually online with girls as young as nine, stood for Parliament in 1999.
A summary of facts presented in court by crown prosecutor Zannah Johnston showed that the case came to light when the mother of a 12-year-old North Island girl intercepted a photograph of the man's erect penis sent to her daughter.
He'd allegedly initiated contact with the girl through her Zorpia social networking web page when she was 11.
The mother found conversations between her daughter and the man that appeared sexual, contacted the Department of Internal Affairs, then operated her daughter's Zorpia profile, recording conversations and the source's electronic address.
Inquiries with United States Customs showed that a 12-year-old American girl had also received similar material, the court documents allege.
Hundreds of pages of documents, files and photographs allegedly found on the man's computers were handed up as prosecution exhibits during the depositions hearing.
At the end of depositions today, Mr Atkins noted the charges were "serious" and carried a maximum jail term of 10 years on conviction.
Defence lawyer Sonia Vidal urged the justices to continue name suppression to protect the man's wife and child. Though the couple were now separated, his wife held a responsible position with a North Canterbury employer.
Ms Johnston said the Crown opposed continued name suppression "in the interests of open justice".
The JPs granted continued suppression at least until a pre-trial conference. The man's wife is to provide written submissions outlining her reasons for seeking a suppression order beyond that.
They bailed the man to a specific Queenstown address and ordered him not to go within 50m of the Frankton Arms Tavern, where the Impact Christian Church School is housed. Also, he must access his apartment from a street other than the one on which the tavern stands.
The man must report to Queenstown police weekly and may only use computers that don't have internet access.
He was remanded to appear in Christchurch District Court on May 9.
- NZPA
