Judge shocked by child porn viewer's vile justification

Thiago De Souza Goncalves was sentenced in Queenstown District Court.

Warning: This article contains court evidence that some people may find distressing.

"They looked like they were enjoying it.''

It was a comment in a pre-sentence report that astounded Judge Kevin Phillips yesterday when sentencing Thiago De Souza Goncalves, 33, a shop assistant of Frankton, who admitted 20 charges of possessing an objectionable publication - depicting infants, toddlers and children under the age of 15 being sexually violated and raped - all dated between November 14 and January 6, at Queenstown.

Eighteen fell in the most serious category under the Films Videos & Publications Classification Act.

In the Queenstown District Court, Judge Phillips said De Souza Goncalves' offending was at the "highest level'', involving a total of 1440 files, of which 1195 were of sexual conduct between adults and the children, the disturbing and graphic details of which were disclosed in the file names.

As Judge Phillips began to read some of the file names out, De Souza Goncalves, supported by friends and family, began to cry.

Defence counsel Tanya Surrey said the defendant denied making the comments detailed in the probation report; however, Judge Phillips accepted what had been reported.

"In the end, when I read the report, I haven't seen anywhere written that you have expressed the shame and horror of the offending against little girls.

"Nowhere is it suggested that they have been victims of people who have put together those videos ... and distributed them to people like you.

"They looked like they were enjoying it'.

"That comment in that report is when the report writer says he or she was discussing the level of harm and significant impact to the victims.

"And that was recorded as your response.''

Judge Phillips found De Souza Goncalves was at a high risk of harm to children, as such he was added to the Child Protection (Child Sex Offender Government Agency Registration) 2016.

From a starting point of two-and-a-half years imprisonment, Judge Phillips applied discounts for De Souza Goncalves' early guilty plea and previous good character, which he had now lost, but stopped short of sending him to jail.

"The matters that are detailed in the pre-sentence report focus sharply on... an inability of you to understand the fact that these kiddies were being victimised and that you were part of the victimisation process.

"I want to bring it home to you that those kiddies are victims... and I want to bring it home to anybody else like-minded what would happen to them if their offending is to be discovered.''

On one charge he was sentenced to nine months home detention, ordered not to have any contact with any person under the age of 16 without the supervision of an approved, informed adult.

He was also ordered to undergo treatment and counselling and was not to possess or use any electronic device capable of accessing the internet or sharing images without prior written approval of probation.

He was also sentenced to 200 hours community work.

On the remaining 19 charges he was sentenced to six months home detention, to be served concurrently.