'Under 12 months old': Young Hamilton man's child abuse collection involved babies, bestiality

Open Justice multimedia journalist, Waikato·NZ Herald·

5 Oct, 2022 05:00 AM5 mins to read

The 22-year-old has avoided prison and having his name printed. He's now serving a sentence of community detention and intensive supervision. Photo / 123rf

Warning: This story contains evidence of a sexual nature which some readers may find upsetting

A Hamilton man found in possession of disturbing images of children, some under 12 months old, has not only avoided prison but will keep his name permanently secret.

The 22-year-old appeared for sentencing in the Hamilton District Court today on multiple representative charges of possessing and distributing objectionable material, with more than 20 images involving sadism or bestiality.

The man's offending came to an abrupt halt after Snapchat discovered he was sharing objectionable material.

He was visited by police on June 4 last year and found in possession of two images. He had shared those with four others.

A search was later carried out of his home, where 989 images and videos were discovered on his Telegram account.

Of those images, a sample lot of 524 were examined and 409 were deemed objectionable under categories 1 - children posing with no sexual activity, to 5, which involves sadism and bestiality.

There were 79 in category 1, 38 in category 2, 112 in 3,59 in category 4 - penetrative sex involving adults and children, and 21 in the highest category.

Judge Denise Clark said some of the victims in the imagery were less than 12 months old and up to adolescence.

He was then charged with two further charges of knowingly distributing objectionable material and five of possessing objectionable publications.

According to data from the United Nations, it's been estimated that more than 200 new child sexual abuse images were circulated online daily.

The number of sexual predators online at any one time is estimated at 750,000.

The man's lawyer, Glenn Dixon, said since being arrested, his client had "thrown himself into rehabilitation and recovery wellness like someone I don't think I have ever seen before".

At the time of the offending, the man was at an all time low after enduring a bad break-up, suffering from anxiety and depression, and drinking between 12 and 24 beers a day.

He then got into pornography before discovering child abuse material.

His rehab had lately seen him take part in hour-long psychotherapy sessions over a 10-week period as well as sessions at SAFE and he hoped that would continue.

Dixon said according to the manager at SAFE, his client seemed further along in his progress than any of the others and he no longer showed distorted thinking patterns.

"He's really doing the work and doesn't shy away from the hard stuff... It's more than just a token effort."

He urged Judge Clark to hand down a sentence of community detention coupled with intensive supervision so that he could with his rehabilitation.

The man had spent his time safely at home since his arrest and there was no reason why that couldn't continue, he said, however there was some concern that he was suffering from social isolation.

"I asked him what he wants, and he said 'structure, work, and friends'. He's isolated," Dixon told Judge Clark.

Pushing for permanent suppression, Dixon said his client's journey wasn't over and if his name was published it would no doubt send him back into depression and anxiety.

"He's still fragile. His journey is only a year-long."

Crown prosecutor Usha Keller said the man's offending was on the "more serious" side.

She said while he did qualify for a discount due to his young age, it couldn't be forgotten how young his victims were too.

Keller also highlighted comments the man made to probation earlier this year that he was still attracted to children as young as 9 years old.

She opposed his suppression application, responding that anxiety and distress of having your name printed did not qualify as extreme hardship.

In considering his penalty, Judge Clark noted the man's slow demise from 2019 when he began feeling helpless, tearful, and not being able to get out of bed which then led to hospitalisation due to suicidal tendencies.

She noted that despite being on bail since his arrest, there had been no issues, and he had instead been spending most of his time working on himself.

The man had earlier accepted a sentence indication from Judge Clark with a starting point of 30 months' prison.

She then issued discounts for guilty plea, his youth, remorse, and personal circumstances ending up at 19 1/2 months.

She came to an end sentence of six months' community detention, with a 7pm to 6am curfew, and 15 months' intensive supervision.

His sentence would also be judicially monitored - meaning she would get updated reports on his progress every three months.

She declined an application for him to be added to the Child Sex Offenders Register.

As for suppression, she allowed the application due to his age, that he was a first offender, becoming socially isolated, vulnerable and that he "still has barriers to overcome", as well as the impact on his future, both work and personally.