A Wellington man has been arrested by the New Zealand Customs Service for his alleged involvement in the online exploitation of children.
The 23-year-old faces one charge each of exporting, distributing and possessing objectionable publications and is scheduled to appear in the Porirua District Court this afternoon. These charges carry maximum penalties between 10 years and 14 years imprisonment.
Customs was notified about a number of objectionable video files a New Zealander had uploaded to social media by a US-based agency.
An investigation identified the man and Customs carried out a search warrant at a house in Porirua this morning.
Electronic forensic investigators conducted an analysis of his phone which confirmed that he had shared multiple videos of child sexual abuse to other users.
Acting chief customs officer Kesta Dennison said that Customs is increasingly seeing “alleged offenders such as this man, continuing to act with complete disregard to the victims of child sexual exploitation, and the impacts it has on their own families, who are often completely unaware of their online activities".
Customs has a specialist team who work "relentlessly" with international and domestic partners to identify and safeguard potential victims and hunt down offenders.
“Customs’ technological capability and investigative expertise should send a clear warning to online predators – our investigators will find you, and we will stop you,” said Dennison.
Investigations are continuing which may result in further charges.
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