A Northland woman has called on Crown Law to appeal against the sentence handed to former deputy police commissioner Jevon McSkimming.
In December, McSkimming was sentenced to nine-months home detention for possessing objectionable material involving child sexual exploitation and bestiality.
Victoria Little said the sentence didn’t acknowledge the lasting damage to victims of abuse.
“I just thought of the victims and I just thought of those children and how enduring the damage that’s done to them.”
The Northland woman questioning Jevon McSkimming's sentence - Watch on TVNZ+
In a letter to Crown Law, Little and her supporters wrote: "We believe the final outcome fails to reflect the gravity of the offending and risks undermining public confidence in the consistency of the criminal justice system."
Little herself experienced abuse as a child.
“People don’t realise that when children are harmed like this it destroys their soul.”
The maximum penalty for possessing objectionable material was currently 10 years in jail.
At the time of McSkimming’s sentencing, Judge Tim Black took a starting point of three years after looking at other cases.
Black then gave McSkimming credit for his early guilty plea, his remorse, and the rehabilitation he had undertaken.
“I am obliged by the Sentencing Act to impose the least restrictive outcome that is available in the circumstances,” Black said at the time.
The judge acknowledged in reviewing the material, McSkimming had contributed to the ongoing demand for it.
“Which is turn creates untold real harm and real misery to thousands and thousands of children worldwide every year.”
Little said this factor needed to be given more weight.
“When people are harmed, it destroys families and it destroys them getting married happily and having children… it just goes on and on.”
Auckland University professor Kris Gledhill told 1News the judge followed precedents from other cases and suggested the better campaign for Little might be for Parliament to raise the maximum sentence, rather than an individual sentencing appeal.
“The prospect of an appeal? No, not particularly sure that’s going to work,” he said.
However, Gledhill said it is in Parliament where the broader issue might resonate loudest. He said he had no doubt "a vast majority of New Zealanders" would support the law being looked at.
“[By] saying 'this is something that we need to think about and perhaps take some action about' ... if that gets the politicians involved and thinking about this with appropriate representations being made, fine, that’s a good outcome."
Little said MPs needed to consider what tougher penalties would mean for victims.
“If they hear that this person did serve time… [victims] would feel a little bit better about that, that they were valued. Otherwise, it just devalues them as a person.”
In a statement, Crown Law told 1News the Deputy Solicitor-General was aware of the sentence and did not at the time consider it stood out as manifestly inadequate in all of the circumstances.
"We will, however, consider it in light of the letter," it said.
The appeal period was set to expire on February 5, 2026.
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