12 July 2018

A Takaka man was sentenced in the Nelson District Court on 11 July 2018 to three years in prison for the possession and distribution of child sex abuse images and videos.

John Wise-Southwood, 71, retired widow living in Takaka pled guilty to three representative charges of possession and distribution of objectionable images depicting the sexual abuse and exploitation of young girls. One charge being the distribution of 26 objectionable computer image files uploaded to a social media platform, and two charges being the possession of over 2,000 objectionable computer image and video files in a Dropbox account and on a desktop computer.

The Judge also granted all three orders sought by the prosecution for forfeiture of electronic devices, destruction of objectionable material, and automatic registration on child sex offender register.

The Department of Internal Affairs’ Censorship Manager, Stephen Waugh, said Wise-Southwood’s continued use of the social networking platform to distribute the child abuse images was detected and referred to the National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children in the USA who in turn referred the matter to the Censorship team at DIA.

“Possessing and sharing child sexual abuse images encourages further sexual abuse and exploitation of children”, says Stephen.

“People who download this material perpetuate this nasty industry providing traders with a ready market for the crimes they commit against these young children to create the images.

“If you deal with this material you will get caught. We have a dedicated team with the expertise to catch these offenders”.

If you are concerned that something you have seen may be objectionable or want to report a crime, contact theCensorship Compliance Unit.

If you are the victim of a child abuse crime, visit the Child Abuse: Directory for information and support.

If you or someone you know are struggling, contact organisations such as Safe Network and WellStop, local treatment providers, or specialist therapists.

ENDS

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