A member of a wealthy NZ family was sentenced at Auckland District Court last month over thousands of objectionable material files. Photo / Nick Reed
A member of an affluent New Zealand family convicted of having “extreme” child abuse material gave $50,400 to charities days before he was due to be sentenced, court documents reveal.
He was given a 3% sentence reduction for his donations.
The man’s name, his family’s name and their high-profile company were permanently suppressed.
Today, the court declined to release the material the man relied on for the permanent name suppression application.
He was sentenced last month by Auckland District Court Judge Maria Pecotic for knowingly possessing thousands of objectionable material files and knowingly importing the content.
The donations were made on June 9, 2025, and he had been due for sentencing on June 13. However, that hearing was adjourned that day until the following month.
Judge Pecotic wrote in sentencing notes provided to the Herald that the charities he donated to would benefit, and the payment could be regarded as supporting his expressions of remorse.
“On the other hand, the timing of the payment of the donations being so close to the day of your last sentencing date could be seen as an attempt to receive a reduction to an otherwise appropriate sentence,” she said.
His lawyer Emma Priest had emphasised this was not her client’s intention in making the donation.
“She submits that the suggestion of a donation was something that came from her and, in her submission, it is linked to show [the man’s] expression of remorse.
“I am prepared to consider it from that point of view and therefore I will allow a further discount to reflect the donations.”
Last month, an AI chatbot wrongly claimed rich-lister Wayne Wright jnr was the defendant.
The falsely identified businessman told the Herald at the time the man should name himself.
“The public have a right to know people have done such things and these folks should not have permanent name suppression,” Wright said.
According to court documents, in September 2023, a Customs officer detected a person in New Zealand was distributing objectionable publications, namely, child sexual exploitation material (CSEM).
The IP of that computer was obtained and Customs made inquiries with Spark, which identified the defendant.
At several later dates in early 2024, a Customs investigator detected a person who had been distributing material using a different IP address but the same software.
On June 6 that year, a search warrant was executed at the man’s address.
Three laptops, three hard drives and one iPhone were seized, the court summary of facts said.
The files located included images of pubescent girls performing a variety of sexual acts on men.
Some of what was captured could be described as involving sadistic sexual activity.
More than 11,000 unique objectionable publications were found depicting the sexual exploitation of children.
The children ranged in age from toddlers through to prepubescent girls. One of the files contained bestiality.
Judge Pecotic said the man had a positive upbringing and a positive relationship with his parents.
“Your family have been shocked by your offending. Your brother has distanced himself from you.”
She said the man had been in a relationship but that ended after the offending came to light.
“You expressed disgust, shame and self-hatred towards yourself in relation to your offending. Your risk of reoffending is assessed as moderate.”
Judge Pecotic said the man had completed 50 one-on-one counselling sessions.
Priest said her client should be entitled to a “full discount” for his guilty plea, given it was entered early, and that he was also entitled to a 5% to 10% discount for his prior good character.
Priest also submitted a further discount of 15% was available to reflect the man’s mental health issues, as well as a 5% to 10% discount for remorse.
Judge Pecotic noted the two sizeable charitable donations, totalling $50,400 made by the man.
“It is submitted that you have undertaken extensive and significant rehabilitation and, as a result, it would be appropriate to reflect that in a 15% discount.”
Once these were taken into account, Priest submitted that the most appropriate outcome would be home detention and it was not necessary to place her client on the child sex offenders register.
Prosecutor Joseph Xulué, for Customs, said the man’s offending was aggravated by the inclusion of “real exploitative abuse”, premeditation and the volume of files seized.
Customs accepted a 25% sentence discount for a guilty plea was appropriate but said the man’s submissions regarding his previous good character needed to be considered alongside the prolonged nature of his offending.
A 5% reduction was submitted as appropriate.
Judge Pecotic gave the man a starting point of five and a half years’ imprisonment and said there were no mitigating features to his offending.
She granted him a 25% discount for his early guilty plea, 5% for remorse and 10% for rehabilitation.
Judge Pecotic gave him a further 3% reduction to represent the donations he made.
She had read a large number of letters of support from his family and friends and said some of them found it difficult to reconcile the person they knew with the offending.
“All these people speak highly of you.”
For his previous good character, she granted him a 5% discount.
Judge Pecotic outlined his long history of mental unwellness, ADHD and referred to a traumatic incident the man had suffered.
For these factors, his sentence was reduced by a further 8%.
This led to an overall discount of 56%, or two years and five months’ imprisonment.
The man was automatically placed on the child sex offenders register.
Katie Harris is an Auckland-based journalist who covers issues such as sexual assault, workplace misconduct, media, crime and justice. She joined the Herald in 2020.
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