Media Release 29 March 2007

Two years’ jail for child sex abuse images

A 46-year-old Blenheim man has been sentenced to two years’ jail for distributing and possessing pictures and movies of children being sexually abused.

Glyndwr Ross Paton, a production facilitator, had earlier pleaded guilty in the Blenheim District Court to four charges of distributing an objectionable publication and 15 of possession.

Judge Tony Zohrab gave Paton credit for an early guilty plea, being open and honest about his offending and for attending a sex offender’s treatment programme. He sentenced him to two years for distribution and one year for possession, with leave to seek home detention and the terms to be served concurrently.

Internal Affairs’ Deputy Secretary, Keith Manch, said the department’s censorship compliance unit discovered Paton offering objectionable computer files on the Internet in September 2005.

“An Inspector of Publications downloaded 56 of these files, many of which depicted children engaged in sexual activity,” Keith Manch said. “A search of Paton’s computer system revealed 349 ‘objectionable’ files out of some 4500 still and moving images.

“Today’s sentence is the heaviest since an offender was jailed for three and a half years in October 2005 after Parliament introduced tougher penalties in amended censorship law.

“This should serve as a warning to people indulging in this activity. Our censorship compliance unit is very active in tracking down offenders and New Zealand is committed to helping prevent the abuse of children.”

ENDS