Name suppression granted to 8 charged in porn swoop

Two teachers, a company director and a consultant were among eight men who appeared in the Auckland District Court yesterday on child pornography charges.

A production manager and a technician also appeared. The occupations of two other men were not stated.

The men - from Western Springs, Pt Chevalier, Remuera, Mt Wellington, Blockhouse Bay, Mt Albert and Glendowie - were granted interim name suppression when they appeared before a court registrar.

Their ages range from 36 to 59.

They have been charged with importing electronic images which exploit young people or children.

The two teachers are aged 55 and 59.

The 55-year-old is also facing charges of possessing a pipe and possessing ammunition.

He is understood to work at an Auckland tertiary institution which the Herald may not identify. A spokeswoman for the institution was not aware of any staff member facing child pornography charges.

The 59-year-old teacher was employed by an Auckland school from the 1980s until a few years ago.

The man is still a registered teacher but it is not known if he is currently working.

The production manager also faces charges of possessing cannabis and methamphetamine, and possession of a pipe.

The accused all received bail on the condition they reside at their homes and surrender their passports.

The men were arrested as part of an international investigation into child pornography.

New Zealand Police, Customs and the Department of Internal Affairs raided homes and offices last month acting on information received from US Immigration and Customs.

The local operation has so far resulted in 25 arrests and a further 19 men are expected to be summonsed to appear in court.

Inquiry head Detective Inspector Bernie Hollewand has said four of the accused are teachers, one is a sports coach and another is a school information technology specialist.

Titahi Bay scuba instructor Bruce Albert Wigzell, 33, appeared in the Porirua District Court on Tuesday.

He did not apply for name suppression and was remanded on bail.

Police are examining 113 computers seized during the raid.

US Immigration and Customs Enforcement [ICE] last month trumpeted the local raid in a news release.

The agency said the New Zealand operation grew out of its own, ongoing investigation into RegPay, an internet billing company based in Minsk, Belarus.

US Immigration and Customs said it had dismantled the company leadership and was focusing on people who bought child porn subscriptions through the site.

More than 190 people were arrested in the United States and more than 900 others have been caught in New Zealand, Australia, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Norway, Sweden, Japan, the Netherlands, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.