Media release

Home detention for child sex criminal

23 October 2015

An Auckland IT consultant was sentenced to 8 months home detention and 300 hours of community work in the Auckland District Court today. Jonathan Haffenden, 48, pleaded guilty to two representative charges of distributing and possessing objectionable publications.

Mr Haffenden used Windows Live Messenger and Skype to discuss and exchange videos depicting the sexual abuse of children. One of his contacts turned out to be an undercover Internal Affairs’ investigator to whom he sent over 50 objectionable picture files including those of young boys in sexual acts and poses. The Department of Internal Affairs learned of Mr Haffenden’s activities from computer information seized in another investigation.

Forensic analysis of Mr Haffenden’s computers showed he had engaged in online discussions and exchanged child sex abuse pictures and movie files.

The Crown prosecutor, Natalie Small, recommended as a starting point that Mr Haffenden be sentenced to four years’ imprisonment with a 10 per cent discount for his guilty pleas. She said his assertion of remorse lacked foundation, he had little appreciation of the impact of offending on his victims, was unhelpful in identifying others in the distribution of sexual images of children, there was no evidence that he had taken any rehabilitative steps towards addressing the cause of his offending or taking responsibility for it, and the Crown rejected his suggestion that he was coerced into providing images to the undercover officer.

Community Safety Manager, Steve O’Brien, said the Department had again demonstrated it could track down offenders and get the necessary evidence, despite best efforts to conceal offending.

“People, who think they’re safe in the confines of their own home, indulging in viewing or distributing objectionable material on the Internet, should think again,” he said. “People who download this material perpetuate this nasty industry, by feeding a market that results in crimes being committed against young children.”

Ends

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