Christchurch man jailed for possessing child sex abuse material

A Christchurch man has been sentenced to three years in prison for possessing objectionable publications showing the sexual exploitation and abuse of children.

Joshua Alan Bainton, 24, was charged and later pleaded guilty after child sexual exploitation and abuse material was found in a cloud storage account that was created and run by him. He also admitted to creating multiple online accounts to view the material.

His sentence follows an investigation by the Department of Internal Affairs (DIA) Digital Child Exploitation Team.

Tim Houston, who is the manager of this team, says the investigation showed the importance of the detection, investigation, and prosecution of this crime and collaboration across enforcement agencies.

"Possessing and sharing child sexual exploitation and abuse material perpetuates a horrific cycle of re-victimisation. This is not a victimless crime. This material depicts a crime scene and the worst moments in a child's life that has been captured and disseminated across the internet by offenders," he says.

"Our priority is to ensure that anyone who distributes, makes and possesses objectionable material including child sexual abuse imagery is caught, prosecuted and sentenced."

The Christchurch Police Child Protection Team supported the DIA's Digital Child Exploitation Team during the investigation.

Bainton's sentence includes the destruction of property used in his offending and he's also required to register as a child sex offender.