Wellington man Shay Joseph Middleton imprisoned for possessing child sex abuse material

Shay Middleton has been sentenced to three years in prison. Photo / File

A Wellington man has been sent to prison for possession of objectionable videos - many of which depicted sexual abuse of babies and toddlers.

Shay Joseph Middleton, 32, was living in Upper Hutt when he was charged with possession of child sexual abuse material.

"Any sexual offending against children is disturbing but, by sharing videos and photos of the offending, the victim is re-victimised every time this material is shared online" said Department of Internal Affairs digital child exploitation team manager Tim Houston.

"Offenders need to know that they will be found and held accountable for their offending, which is not only an offence against children, but an offence against our values as a society."

This is Middleton's second conviction for possession of child exploitation material. He was convicted in 2013 and sentenced to one year of intensive supervision community work.

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Today he was sentenced for the more recent possession charges, which included objectionable videos depicting sexual abuse and exploitation of children.

He was sentenced to three years in prison and ordered to forfeit all devices. He will be placed on the Child Sex Offender register.

Members of the public concerned they may have seen objectionable material or who want to report a crime can contact the digital child exploitation team.

Where to report crime

If you are the victim of a child abuse crime, Child Abuse: Directory for information and support Safe to Talk: 0800 044 334 Text 4334

If you are concerned about someone else's sexual behaviour, you should contact organisations such as, Safe Network: 09 377 9898 WellStop: 04 566 4745 STOP: 03 353 0257.