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KATHRYN GEORGE/Stuff
A judge has heard that a psychiatrist would have concerns over the man’s mental state if his name was published.
A judge has permanently suppressed the name of a man who was once part of a high profile government-funded group after he was caught with child exploitation images.
The man was sentenced earlier in the year to eight months’ home detention after being caught during an Internal Affairs investigation into others sharing the images online.
Stuff has been fighting to be able to name the man and on Tuesday, Wellington District Court judge Jo Rielly heard from his lawyer that his name should be permanently suppressed.
More than 900 images had been found over three devices with more deleted images being recovered during the investigation.
He had pleaded guilty to four representative charges of possessing it, one of making an objectionable publication and one of distributing it.
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Internal Affairs identified his username and carried out a search warrant. The man co-operated and supplied them with all his devices and passwords.
When sentencing him, the judge said, of the 900 images, 225 were unique. They included babies, children and adults and bestiality.
She said significant harm was caused to those involved,
“Even though most can not be identified, they have in particular had ongoing emotional effects, and as I know, in your detailed affidavits, you accept that is the case and understand if people are not prepared to view the material and possess the material then those making and distributing it would have no market.”
The judge acknowledged the man had made significant efforts at rehabilitation.
She declined to add his name to the child sex offender register but imposed stringent conditions to his home detention including having to have electronic devices approved and handed over for inspection, not to be with anyone under 16 without an approved adult and ongoing counselling.
The man intended to donate a significant sum of money to the Child Rescue Alert NZ and Road Forward organisations which assist victims of exploitation.
The man’s lawyer Letizea Ord had said he was genuinely remorseful and disgusted at himself.
He was no longer employed and had no prospects for employment and when he did, it would be markedly different from his previous employment.
She said he had already suffered the loss of his job and a career he loved along with a loss of income.
Ord told the judge it was clear from evidence presented that there were fears he would suffer extremely as a result of publication.
Stuff’s lawyer Daniel Nilsson said there was a public interest in knowing about sex offenders and a compelling interest in seeing justice done in serious sex offending.
The judge said the man was a real person with feelings, who had led a blameless life up until the commission of the offences. He had held a responsible position in the community but was hiding a set of behaviours that was unacceptable and criminal.
Judge Rielly said the offending was nothing to do with his previous workplace.
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