4 April 2007

Jailed for child sex abuse pictures

A 35-year-old Whakatane man was jailed for five months in the Whakatane District Court today after being convicted a second time for possessing pictures of child sexual abuse.

Zane Lawrence Harris, a computer technician, had earlier pleaded guilty to one charge of possessing an objectionable publication knowing it was objectionable. He was convicted of 38 similar offences in 2001.

Judge Louis Bidois declined Harris leave to apply for home detention.

Department of Internal Affairs censorship inspectors in June 2006 seized two computers from Harris’s house and found that an objectionable movie, featuring an 11 to 13 year old girl, had been on one of them between September and December 2005, after which it was deleted.

Harris admitted to the inspectors that he possessed possibly more than 100 movies and pictures of children aged eight to 16 years in sexual acts and posing.

Internal Affairs’ Deputy Secretary, Keith Manch, said the line taken by the court showed the seriousness of this offending.

“This is not a victimless crime,” Keith Manch said. “There must be a constant stream of children being abused by adults in order to feed the insatiable appetite of this foul industry. And those who download the results of this abuse provide traders with a ready market.

“New Zealand is committed to international efforts to help prevent the abuse of children and our inspectors are very active in tracking down collectors.”

ENDS

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