Child sex abuse pictures bring jail term

A 49-year-old Auckland beneficiary was jailed today for 10-and-a-half months after he pleaded guilty to 30 charges of possessing objectionable publications – pictures of children being sexually exploited or abused.

Geoffrey John Bowler of Hillcrest, Auckland, appeared for sentence in the North Shore District Court after American authorities tipped off the Department of Internal Affairs that a New Zealand account holder had uploaded 45 child abuse images on Christmas Day 2010.

The Department tracked the account holder to a Hillcrest, Auckland, address where an inspector found more than 3000 images on Bowler’s computer – 460 of which depicted children being sexually exploited or abused. Internet searches on his computer showed that Bowler had visited websites depicting sexual activity with children.

Bowler’s sentencing came the same day that an Australian paedophile was jailed for 30 years in the United States following an international investigation sparked by Internal Affairs in Wellington.
Peter Truong, 36, of Queensland was sentenced in a US court – six months after his partner, Mark Newton, 42, was given 40 years’ jail ¬– for sexually abusing a young boy whom they bought as a newborn for $US8000. The case was sparked by an Internal Affairs inspector who noted something suspicious about a series of photos of a six-year-old boy stored on the computer of a man in a separate investigation. Clues linked the case to Queensland which was broadened to the United States.

Steve O’Brien, National Manager of the Internal Affairs’ Censorship Compliance Unit says the Department has built an international reputation for work in identifying the victims of child abuse and regularly contributes to solving cases internationally.

“The rescue and protection of abused children is a particularly satisfying result from the team’s work. It is why we do this work,” Steve said. “Children are the physical victims of adults who create images of child sexual abuse. And they are re-victimised every time that image is viewed or traded on the Internet. We are successful because we collaborate – both with NZ authorities and with other enforcement agencies around the world. “

ENDS

© Scoop Media