A Canadian man's use of child pornography unravelled when he unwittingly sent a video to an undercover officer in New Zealand.
Steve Pelland, from Princeton in Otario, was jailed for a year after previously pleading guilty to possessing and distributing child pornography, the Brantford Expositor reports.
The court heard how Pelland was found to have 364 images or movies on various devices, including an account on instant messaging app Kik, often used by young children.
The Canadian-created app has been criticised for offering messaging without having to link a phone number, allowing predators to operate with few avenues to track them and for being unsafe for minors who are among the app's biggest users.
The company says the way the usernames work means standard information such as phone number, first and last name or email address, won't allow them to identify the user - only the specific account name provide basic information.
In 2016, the New York Times reported authorities had concerns over the app which was being linked to abuse cases, as well as the death of a 13-year-old girl.
In May last year, there were 300 million reported active users.
The court heard the material seized from Pelland's Kik account and other devices focused on children between five and 14.
In sentencing, Judge Robert Gee said while the offending may have seemed "harmless" to Pelland, there are victims to child pornography and the effects can last a lifetime, the Expositor reports.
"Those children are being damaged for life and a lot of them are probably going to turn to drugs, alcohol and conflicts with the law. And those images are forever."
Pelland's lawyer Dale Henderson said his client had pleaded guilty at the first opportunity, and had a "disrupted childhood".
"I'm sorry, and I won't be back here," Pelland told Judge Gee.
Newshub.
