Teen sentenced for trading child sexual abuse images

Customs is calling on parents and guardians to pay more attention to what their children are doing online, after a New Plymouth teenager was yesterday sentenced for the online trading of child sexual abuse images.

Layton Jones, 18, was sentenced to 10 months home detention at the New Plymouth District Court after pleading guilty to 14 charges of importing, 11 charges of distributing and 5 charges of possessing child sexual abuse material.

“Jones had established and maintained contact with other traders of child sexual abuse material. Unfortunately with greater global connectivity, offenders can operate in a supposedly anonymous environment where such material is easily accessed or exchanged,” says Customs Acting Group Manager Investigations and Response, Shane Panettiere.

“Customs works closely with local as well as international agencies to identify the child victims and prosecute individuals involved in importing, exporting, possessing and trading child sexual abuse material.”

In October 2012, Customs received information from the United States Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, that a New Zealander had been identified trading child sexual abuse images and videos through email.

Further investigations led to Customs executing a search warrant, interviewing, and then commencing a prosecution against Jones. Forensic examination of his computer located 9304 images and 80 movies stored on it. The child victims were aged from preteen to teenage years.

“As a result of investigation into this case, we also advised several other international law enforcement agencies of offenders operating in their jurisdictions,” Mr Panettiere said.

“Child sexual exploitation should be a concern for everyone as it harms the very core of our society. This is unfortunately more common than communities would like to think.”

“Every image depicts an actual child being sexually abused, assaulted, degraded, exploited or tortured - nothing should excuse this offence,” he said.

New Zealand Customs’ networks with the NZ Police [OCEANZ] and Internal Affairs to combat online Child Sexual Exploitation.

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