Jail for child porn warning to others

The jailing of a 22-year-old student for possessing and distributing pictures of children being sexually abused was a strong warning to offenders, the Department of Internal Affairs said yesterday.

Andrei Vacaras, 22, a computer software engineer and student, of Whangaparaoa, north of Auckland, was jailed for 12 months on Tuesday after pleading guilty to 26 charges of possessing, distributing or supplying objectionable publications - pictures of children aged from three to 12 being sexually abused.

Judge Tom Ingram said in the North Shore District Court that unless the court responded firmly to such offending the degradation of children would continue. He declined Vacaras leave to apply for home detention, saying, "offences of this kind occur all too easily in the home".

Internal Affairs Deputy Secretary Andrew Secker said a department censorship inspector detected Vacaras' offending on the internet on February 24 last year - three days after Parliament had increased penalties for offences under the Films Videos and Publications Classification Act 1993.

"Courts can now impose up to 10 years' jail for distributing child sex abuse images and up to five years for possession," Mr Secker said.

The inspector was searching the internet for persons trading child sexual abuse images by scanning customers of the application KaZaA, which allows users to share and download files from other KaZaA users through a keyword search.

The inspector detected a New Zealander making picture files - with titles indicating they showed children in sexual acts with adults - which were made available worldwide by leaving them in a shared folder.

A search warrant was executed at Vacaras' home on the March 3, his computer and accessories were seized and the pictures found.

"This latest prosecution must send a strong warning to offenders ... People who think they're safe in the confines of their own home, indulging in this objectionable trafficking on the internet, should think again."

- NZPA