It is a scary thought that foreigners are attempting to import horrific images of child abuse through our own port.
Thanks to some dedicated detective work by Customs the latest efforts were thwarted with 14 hard drives and five laptops seized from several vessels visiting Port of Tauranga.
The Bay of Plenty
Times yesterday reported that some of the items contained "extreme" images of child sexual abuse and one man has been convicted and sent home.
Filipino crewman Jayson Cosme was arrested and charged with six counts of importing objectionable video material showing such abuse. Cosme had 25 images, including video, in a laptop on board the cargo ship Tasman Trader.
The trading of such objectionable images is far from a victimless crime.
Ecpat Child Alert, a New Zealand organisation that works toward protecting children from sexual exploitation, says every image is of a real child that has been abused, raped or tortured - many of them under five. People who access these images are condoning the appalling treatment of our most innocent and defenceless members of society.
Cosme was fined nearly $7000 - the maximum penalty for importing objectionable material is five years' imprisonment.'
Chief customs officer Steve Wineti says the images were especially offensive and his offending was the high end of the scale. If this is case - why was this not reflected in his sentence?
These scumbags deserve the harshest of penalties.
Customs is certainly doing its part and must be commended for this effort to stamp out this appalling trade.
Operation League is believed to be the first of its kind in the country. Let's hope Customs keeps the pressure on. People like Jayson Cosme are not welcome in our waters.
