Former Deputy Police Commissioner Jevon McSkimming has admitted using work devices to search child exploitation and bestiality images, with court documents revealing he told a colleague he needed different types of pornography to “feel anything” and his behaviour “just kept escalating”.
The summary of facts, released to media this afternoon, details thousands of Google searches the 52-year-old made over the course of nearly five years, many seeking AI-generated or cartoon images.
Some of his search terms included references to underage girls, incest, and animals, and words such as “slave”, “abuse”, and “extreme”.
After being caught with the illegal material on his devices, McSkimming contacted a colleague and admitted to them that police had found “porn” on his laptop, the summary said.
“He said that he had found a way around the normal police systems to look at porn and that he grew up in a house where pornography was normal.
“He also spoke with another colleague and said that over the years he had needed different types of pornography to make him feel anything, and it just kept escalating.”
Appearing in the Wellington District Court this afternoon, McSkimming pleaded guilty to three representative charges of possessing objectionable material. He previously faced eight counts of possession, but this was reduced today.
He showed little emotion during the hearing, and did not speak to waiting media when he left the courthouse, walking swiftly and occasionally holding his arm out to make a path through the media scrum.
The summary of facts said he had been a member of the police force for 25 years when he committed the offending, some of which was done during work hours.
“In addition to, and relevant to this offending, the defendant was appointed Chief Security Officer (CSO) for New Zealand Police in March 2021, responsible and accountable for protective security and ensuring that protective security policies and implementation is aligned with police objectives, risk, and requirements,” it said.
He was a member of the Security and Privacy Reference Group and had knowledge of information and security controls that applied to the use of the internet.
“In late 2020, police made the decision that six-monthly internet usage monitoring reports, supplied to the SLT [senior leadership team], would cease. The defendant would have been aware of this change, in that the monitoring reports had stopped, and were no longer getting routine visibility at any governance group table.”
McSkimming’s first recorded search took place on July 1, 2020, which was as far back as the police’s retrievable records could go. About a third of the Google searches he made on his work phone were adult or pornographic content searches.
A total of 2945 images McSkimming accessed were assessed by police as objectionable material, and he is estimated to have opened or enlarged about 160 of them. He also took screenshots of some images.
The Herald applied to take photos of McSkimming in court at today’s hearing, but Judge Tim Black declined the application.
During the hearing, lawyer Letizea Ord entered guilty pleas on McSkimming’s behalf, and the judge set a sentencing date for mid-December.
Police Commissioner Richard Chambers said McSkimming’s conduct “was disgraceful and it is right he has been held to account for it”.
“The outcome shows all police, no matter their rank, are accountable to the laws that apply to us all. Mr McSkimming’s behaviour was not only criminal, but goes against the core values of police,” Chambers said in a statement.
“I will not allow this to tarnish my staff, who are as appalled by this as I am. This shameful episode has done their dedication an immense disservice.
“From the moment I was advised about these circumstances, I have taken it seriously and acted on it.”
Speaking on Newstalk ZB’s Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive after McSkimming’s admission, Police Minister Mark Mitchell said he’s “very pleased” McSkimming pleaded guilty.
“It was abhorrent behaviour, and this is definitely the right result and it just underlines that no one is above the law,” he said.
Mitchell acknowledged the case had caused reputational damage to the police force.
“Unfortunately, it probably has, and I find that very frustrating,” he said.
“No one feels more let down when you get a rogue police officer that behaves like this than our front line.
“And when we do identify a bad apple in the barrel, then it’s just got to be dealt with quickly.”
McSkimming had been suspended on full pay since December 2024 while under investigation for a separate allegation, although his lawyers said he expected to resume his duties after clearing his name.
The nature of the original allegations, which led to his suspension, cannot be reported currently for legal reasons.
McSkimming, who immediately resigned upon discovery of the objectionable material on his devices, sought an injunction preventing the media from reporting on its alleged nature, but this was declined by High Court Justice Karen Grau.
Robert Stewart, KC, who represented the media at the injunction hearing, had argued there was significant public interest in reporting on the investigations which ultimately led to the forced resignation of a public figure.
“He jumped before he was pushed … the public have a right to understand a little bit more about the material that led to that, or the nature of the allegations that led to that.”
In response, McSkimming’s lawyer, Linda Clark, said the injunction was necessary to protect her client’s right to a fair trial and the court’s processes.
“Naturally, in an application such as this, public interest will be front of mind and, your Honour, we say that public interest has been served by the amount of information already in the public domain about Mr McSkimming.”
On the same day McSkimming resigned, Chambers ordered an independent review of the organisation’s IT systems to ensure there were sufficient security measures to prevent and detect the misuse of police technology.
The review, which was released this year, found the organisation needed more monitoring of staff internet use and stronger filtering mechanisms to guard against “inappropriate or harmful content” being accessed or downloaded.
The review also recommended better oversight of all police-owned devices, including those which sit outside the police network for legitimate work purposes.
As a result, Chambers said he immediately ordered the reintroduction of audits of data and internet usage on police devices. This had been previously halted around five years ago, Chambers said.
Melissa Nightingale is a Wellington-based reporter who covers crime, justice and news in the capital. She joined the Herald in 2016 and has worked as a journalist for 10 years.