11 August 2005
Name Suppression For Child Sex Abuse Image Offending Sends Wrong Message
Today’s decision by the Dunedin District Court, to grant name suppression to a university student convicted on 12
charges of collecting and distributing videos and pictures of toddlers and children being sexually abused by adult men
and being sexually posed, was criticised by a group working to end the sexual exploitation of children.
Judge Stephen O’Driscoll sentenced the offender to 300 hours community work and imposed a 12-month supervision and
treatment order.
Spokesperson for Stop Demand Foundation, Denise Ritchie, says “Today’s sentence is a trivialisation of the sexual abuse
of children in two respects: the inadequate sentence imposed, and the granting of name suppression. Toddlers and
children were sexually abused to satisfy the sexual demands of men like the offender. In this regard he directly
contributed to their sexual abuse. It was open to the Court to impose a jail sentence. The fact that the Court merely
chose to impose community work is a minimisation of the abuse inflicted on these children.”
“The sexually abused toddlers and children will be identifiable. They will live the rest of their lives without
anonymity, with the knowledge that sexual predators globally will derive sexual gratification from watching their
degradation and reliving their sexual abuse.
For the Court to then provide anonymity to someone who derived sexual gratification from their abuse is inappropriate
when the offending concerns sexual crimes against children. It is well known that those who distribute and collect child
sex abuse images operate in secrecy.
Ongoing secrecy through name suppression is not a signal that the Courts should be endorsing. Naming offenders increases
their future accountability to others. It reflects the gravity of offending and hopefully acts as a deterrent to others.
The public, particularly caregivers and children, are entitled to know who these child sexual exploiters are.”
ENDS