A 20-year-old apprentice butcher from Northern Otago has been sentenced to three years and nine months in prison after pleading guilty to 22 charges relating to the creation, possession and distribution of child sexual abuse material.
Bailey Phillips was sentenced yesterday in Oamaru District Court following an investigation by the Department of Internal Affairs' (DIA) Digital Child Exploitation Team, which uncovered tens of thousands of objectionable files on his devices, some depicting sexual activity involving animals.
Phillips pleaded guilty to nine counts of knowingly possessing more than 29,000 objectionable images and videos, seven counts of knowingly distributing more than 22,000 objectionable files, and six counts of knowingly creating 12 video files depicting the sexual abuse of children.
He came to the attention of investigators during a separate DIA-led investigation, when they discovered online conversations between Phillips and convicted offender Glen Connor, in which Phillips offered to groom and sextort a young male.
A search warrant was subsequently executed at Phillips' home, where investigators seized five devices. Forensic examination revealed files compiled over a four-year period, including material depicting the abuse of children, including babies.
Investigators also found that Phillips had impersonated a teenage girl in online conversations in order to obtain sexual imagery of young teenage boys.
DIA manager of digital child exploitation Tim Houston said sextortion and grooming were calculated forms of abuse.
"These offenders manipulate and exploit trust to coerce children into producing objectionable material, and the harm caused by these crimes can be devastating and long lasting," Houston said.
He said the team's work, carried out alongside Police and Customs, was aimed at tracing offenders who attempt to hide behind anonymity online.
"Every file we remove and every offender we stop means fewer children harmed."
As part of his sentence, Phillips was placed on the Child Sex Offender Register. The court also ordered the forfeiture of his devices and the destruction of the objectionable material.
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