Media Release 20 February 2007

Collector of child sex abuse images in jail

A 45-year-old man was today sentenced to six months imprisonment for possessing electronic images and movies of child sex abuse images he described as, “the final frontier”.

Palmerston North resident David John Sutherland was convicted on 20 charges of knowingly possessing an objectionable publication. Judge Atkins in the Palmerston North District Court also refused Sutherland leave to apply for home detention.

Judge Atkins said that a community-based sentence was inappropriate given that denunciation and deterrence were the most important considerations.

Department of Internal Affairs Censorship Inspectors detected Sutherland downloading child sexual abuse images whilst investigating an overseas website last year. Department Inspectors then seized Sutherland’s computer under a search warrant, at his then home in Waipukurau, and found it to contain in excess of 3000 pictures and over 350 movies of child sexual abuse. The ages of the children in the images ranged from approximately three-14 years old.

When interviewed, Sutherland stated that he had developed an interest in this material since he got the computer about a year prior. His explanation as to why he downloaded the images was that it was the final frontier, and it was not like he intended hurting these people.

The Department of Internal Affairs Deputy Secretary Keith Manch said the children who appear in the images are real, and so is the abuse and suffering inflicted on them.

“In reality anyone who views these images is perpetuating the crime and causing further hurt to the victims of child sex abuse.

“Offending like Sutherland’s encourages more abuse as collectors demand more images and more extreme images,” said Keith Manch.

”One victim of child sex abuse overseas has been recorded as saying, ‘the abuse can be dealt with but the knowledge about the ongoing presences of the images is more difficult to accept’.”

ENDS