Man finally admits amassing 11,000 child abuse files, jailed for two years

Pearce Buckley. Photo / Otago Daily Times

Warning: Distressing content

A Dunedin man found with 11,000 child-sex-abuse files has finally admitted guilt while behind bars, putting his crimes down to “a stressful period” in his life.

Pearce Patrick Buckley, 35, is serving a prison term of two years, eight months after a jury found him guilty of three counts of possessing objectionable publications.

The defendant tried to convince jurors the amassing of the child pornography had been inadvertent and he had actually been hunting for niche adult material: tall women dominating men dressed up as babies.

The Parole Board this month heard Buckley had now come clean and accepted his denials were a sham.

“[He] has now reached the position where he accepts responsibility for his offending and the motivation behind it,” panel convener Neville Trendle said.

“He told us he was suffering from a particularly stressful period and not coping when he offended.”

Buckley claimed the revelation had come about after he had undertaken sessions with a therapist.

In June 2018, Buckley created an account under the name “John Parker” on the Mega website, an encrypted file-storage application with more than 230 million users.

Shortly after establishing the account, the defendant imported a folder called “Nunu” which contained more than 11,000 files featuring graphic depictions of sexual abuse against children.

There were also bestiality files among them.

“The offending involves violence of the most grotesque kind against children,” said Judge Michael Turner at sentencing last year.

Buckley deleted the Nunu file seven minutes after getting it, but later the same day re-imported it and it remained in his account for several days.

In total, four copies of the file were found in his virtual trash by Department of Internal Affairs investigators.

Counsel Brendan Stephenson told the Parole Board his client had “a high level of support” from his wife and argued he should be released to complete rehabilitation in the community.

At sentencing, the court heard the inmate’s mental health issues would make serving a jail term more difficult than it would be for others.

Stephenson told the board Buckley would be better off out of the custodial environment.

But Trendle disagreed.

Buckley would have to complete the Medium Intensity Programme so the board could be convinced his risks had been mitigated.

He will appear before the Parole Board again in March next year.