Rotorua businessman pleads guilty to child porn charge

A well-known Rotorua businessman has admitted importing child pornography.

The self-employed businessman, who has interim name suppression, was caught in an international sting set up by United States authorities.

The man, described in Rotorua District Court as an outstanding member of the community, is one of more than 40 men who have been arrested throughout New Zealand over recent months as part of a nationwide crackdown on internet pornography.

The man hung his head when he stood in the dock yesterday and pleaded guilty to a representative charge of importing child pornography over a six-month period in 2003.

The maximum penalty for the offence is six months' jail or a fine of up to $10,000.

It was revealed in court the businessman not only accessed and downloaded up to 15 images of child pornography from the internet, but also posted comments about the pictures and gave some of them a rating out of five.

His actions were picked up by United States authorities who set up an undercover operation.

The man's lawyer, Harry Edward, handed several references to Judge Greg Hikaka and told the court they showed the man was an "outstanding member of our community".

The offending dated back two years and he had an "absolute pristine record".

Judge Hikaka refused Mr Edward's request to sentence the man straight away. He said after seeing the nature of the charges and the references more information was needed before he could be sentenced.

The man was granted interim name suppression but New Zealand Customs has indicated it would oppose a permanent suppression order.

The man has been remanded at large for sentencing on June 1.

- NZPA