Asian comics part of child sex abuse image collection
A Hastings chef has been sentenced to ten months imprisonment today at the Hastings District court for possessing online
child sex abuse images.
Michael Andrew Tawhai, 30, of Flaxmere, pleaded guilty to 15 sample charges of possessing objectionable publications,
which included pictures and videos of young children being sexually abused.
An Internal Affairs inspector came across Tawhai in 2012 on Internet file sharing areas. He traced Tawhai to his family
home where computer equipment – including his parents’ laptop – was seized. His parents’ computer showed offending going
back to early 2010.
Apart from objectionable images of children, Tawhai’s computers had many Asian comics with children being sexually
abused in family situations and computer generated images of incestuous explicit sexual activities.
The court ordered Tawhai’s computers to be forfeited and destroyed while the Department intended to forensically clean
the parents’ laptop and return it to them.
Community Safety Manager, Steve O’Brien said possessing child sex abuse imagery is not a victimless crime.
“It involves real children forced into degrading acts. All forms of child sex abuse imagery are an exploitation of
children. Trading or viewing these images condones the abuse children suffer. If you deal in this material you can
expect to get caught. No matter what you do everything is traceable on your computer.”
ends