Man jailed for sharing child sexual abuse material

Andrew Craig Ward, of Hastings, earlier pleaded guilty to 10 charges of possessing child sexual abuse images. Photo / File

A man found to be sharing child sexual abuse material on the internet has been sentenced to 12 months in jail today.

Andrew Craig Ward, of Hastings, earlier pleaded guilty to 10 charges of possessing child sexual abuse images.

He was sentenced at the Hastings District Court today by Judge Gerard Winter.

Judge Winter told Ward, 43, that a sentence of home detention would not be sufficient enough or deter re-offending.

In July last year, an Internal Affairs inspector discovered Ward offering child sex abuse material via internet file sharing avenues.

Ward's house was then searched and resulted in the discovery of up to a thousand images of children being sexually abused; as well as movies depicting the sexual exploitation of youngsters.

The material has since been destroyed.

Internal Affairs spokesman Steve O'Brien said people involved in the making and distribution of such material would eventually be caught.

"People who collect child sex abuse images create a market for more abuse.

"Trading or viewing these images is not passive offending because it condones the abuse children suffer and encourages those who actually photograph them. If you deal in or possess this material, you can expect to get caught."