The Department of Internal Affairs has just made its third successful prosecution for child pornography in two weeks, its eighth this year.
Lower Hutt restaurant worker Graham Lee Smith, 25, was fined $4750 this week after pleading guilty to 10 charges of trading and possessing pictures of girls aged between sixand 12 years being sexually abused by adult men. He was trading on the internet.
Last week, Anthony Glanville Johansen was fined $6950 in Lower Hutt District Court after pleading guilty to 15 charges of copying, trading and possession of objectionable videos.
The videos included torture, bestiality and child pornography.
Also last week, Earl William Duffell Intemann pleaded guilty in North Shore District Court to 14 charges of trading and possession of child pornography. He was fined $2500 and ordered to do 200 hours community work.
Keith Manch, general manager of the Internal Affairs gaming and censorship compliance group, said Smith's conviction was the eighth in New Zealand this year.
The offenders were operating throughout New Zealand and via overseas internet service providers.
"The cases involved the department, Police, Customs and overseas law enforcement agencies," Mr Manch said.
"There is strong co-operation between agencies, and New Zealanders who choose to continue trading child pornography will eventually be caught."
