A Christchurch man has been jailed for the possession, export and distribution of child sex abuse material depicting the assault of real children.
In April 2025, a Customs investigation was launched into the export of child sexual abuse material, which took place between December 2022 and February 2025.
The individual responsible, a 27-year-old man, was identified and located. A search warrant was executed at a Christchurch address.
"Following a brief interaction with Customs Investigators, the man identified fled the property but was arrested after a short on-foot pursuit," a spokesperson for the agency said.
The man faced 19 charges, including the export, distribution and possession of objectionable publications, which were child sexual abuse material.
Customs said most of the material "depicted the assault of real children".
Investigators also discovered the man had been using online gaming platforms to groom and attempt to exploit children and young people.
The man was sentenced to three years and six months in prison at the Christchurch District Court yesterday. He was also registered as a child sex offender.
"The material this man was accessing and sharing is distressing and keeps alive the very deep trauma experienced by the numerous victims shown in the videos and imagery," chief customs officer, child exploitation operations team, Simon Peterson said.
"Furthermore, this offender had begun his own sexual exploitation of children in his messaging, and we're relieved we were able to stop him when we did."
“Offending of this nature is never victimless. These are not simply illicit images or videos—they document real children being horrifically abused. Every time this material circulates, it perpetuates harm and trauma for those victims.”
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