A member of a prominent New Zealand family, who has permanent name suppression after being convicted of importing and possessing child sexual abuse material, has been released from prison on parole.
According to a report by Stuff, the man was released on July 8 after serving part of a two-year and five-month prison sentence imposed last August. He will remain on parole with a range of special conditions until July 2028 and is scheduled to appear before the Parole Board again in October for a progress hearing.
Under the conditions of his release, he is prohibited from using or possessing any internet-capable electronic device and must not communicate with anyone under the age of 16 without prior approval from a probation officer, as reported by Stuff.
The Parole Board determined that he no longer posed an unacceptable risk to the community.
Judge Jane Lovell-Smith said: “The board is satisfied that should he be released on parole he would not pose an undue risk to the safety of the community and the standard and special conditions that have been proposed by Corrections on release are appropriate to address any risk,” as quoted by Stuff.
The decision noted the man had demonstrated a “positive pattern of behaviour since coming into custody” and remained “committed to ongoing treatment to address” his offending. A psychologist's assessment also concluded he was at low risk of committing future sexual offences and had developed an understanding of how his offending occurred.
According to Stuff, the man was convicted after a Police and Customs investigation into the online distribution of objectionable publications through peer-to-peer file-sharing software in 2023. He was arrested in June 2024 after authorities examined his electronic devices and discovered 11,775 objectionable files, including graphic child sexual abuse material. One device alone contained more than 240 hours of video.
At sentencing, Judge Maria Pecotic described the material as involving:
“sadistic sexual activity on children,” Stuff has quoted.
The sentencing notes said the man came from a supportive family, who were left “shocked” by the offending.
Judge Pecotic also noted: “You expressed disgust, shame and self-hatred towards yourself in relation to your offending. Your risk of re-offending is assessed as moderate,” as quoted by Stuff.
During sentencing, defence lawyer Emma Priest said her client had completed extensive rehabilitation, including a comprehensive sex offender treatment programme. The judge reduced the starting sentence of five-and-a-half years by 56 per cent, taking into account his guilty plea, rehabilitation, remorse, charitable donations, previous good character and mental health, as reported by Stuff.
The man remains on the Child Sex Offenders Register and continues to have permanent name suppression, as does the family business connected to him.
However, Customs has appealed that suppression in the High Court, arguing such orders should only be granted in exceptional circumstances.
Representing Customs, Crown lawyer Matthew Davie argued:
“In the real world when facing difficulty, money does make a real difference,” as quoted by Stuff.
He also submitted that any future romantic partner should be aware of the man's convictions.
“She [any future romantic partner] has a right to know the character of the person she is going to be with,” Davie said, Stuff has quoted.
Davie also told the court that continued suppression had contributed to false online accusations against innocent people, including individuals who were incorrectly identified by artificial intelligence tools and social media users.
Lawyers for the man and the family business opposed lifting the suppression order, arguing publication would undermine his rehabilitation and unfairly damage a business that had no involvement in the offending, Stuff has reported.
Priest said there was evidence that naming her client would create a “complete barrier” to his rehabilitation and maintained there was no evidence he posed a risk to future partners or their children. She also argued that the recent misidentification of innocent people highlighted the need for courts to reconsider how name suppression operates in the age of artificial intelligence, as reported by Stuff.
Much of the defence's submissions remain subject to suppression because they relate to the man's mental health.
High Court Justice Michael Robinson has reserved his decision on whether the permanent name suppression orders will remain in place, as reported by Stuff.