An Invercargill couple connected to a paedophile network were both jailed after they pleaded guilty to possessing and distributing “horrific” child sexual exploitation and abuse material.
They also admitted a charge of doing an indecent act on a child.
The men, aged 55 and 53, appeared in the Invercargill District Court on Friday and pleaded guilty to a combined six charges.
The 55-year-old was handed a four-year prison sentence after he pleaded guilty to one representative charge of possession of objectionable material, a representative charge of distribution of objectionable material and one charge of indecent act on a child.
The 53-year-old was sentenced to a prison term of four years and three months after he pleaded guilty to to one representative charge of possession of objectionable material, a representative charge of distribution of objectionable material and one charge of indecent act on a child.
Both were required to register as child sex offenders.
The guilty pleas followed an investigation by police and the Department of Internal Affairs' (DIA) digital child exploitation team.
It was launched after DIA received a tip-off from the US-based National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC).
It said the 55-year-old was sending child exploitation and abuse images to the 53-year-old on an online messaging platform.
"The Department worked closely with partner agencies to ensure that a child identified during the investigation was safeguarded from further harm," DIA said.
During a search of the couple’s previous home in Hamilton, investigators discovered more than 400 images depicting "horrific" sexual exploitation and abuse of infants and young children.
"Both offenders also took part in disturbing conversations with other offenders and shared images of child sexual exploitation and abuse, which led to DIA identifying a further five suspects," DIA said.
One resulting investigation led to the guilty plea of an offender who was sentenced to 18 months home detention for the creation, distribution and possession of child sexual exploitation material.
DIA referred two other suspects to police, but they have since died.
"These individuals were part of a network of New Zealand-based offenders with a sexual interest in the sadistic sexual abuse of babies and children," Tim Houston, manager of the digital child exploitation team.
"The material shared amongst this group of paedophiles, for their own sexual gratification, was horrendous, and every time this material is re-shared, it perpetuates the eco-system that this material exists in."
Sergeant Kepal Richards, the online child exploitation across New Zealand manager for police, said: "Behind every image exists a real victim, and this case is a timely reminder for those engaging in this kind of criminality that they will be discovered and prosecuted."
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