The jailing of two child sexual abuse image collectors means the market for such objectionable material has been reduced, Internal Affairs Deputy Secretary Keith Manch said. But inspectors here and overseas will continue to trawl the Internet for offenders throughout the holiday period.

“New Zealand is committed to international efforts to help prevent the abuse of children and our inspectors are very active in tracking down collectors of pictures showing this abuse,” Manch said. “We are part of an international team working to catch such offenders and our inspectors are on the job at all hours. If you deal in this material you can expect to get caught.”

In Dunedin, a 45-year-old truck driver, Graeme Murray Purvis was jailed for three and a half years on 22 charges involving the possession, distribution and making of objectionable publications and attempted sexual grooming of a 15-year-old girl. In Christchurch District Court Anson Frederick Betts, aged 37, computer programmer, of Mairehau, was jailed for 14 months by Judge Michael Crosbie when he appeared for sentence on 17 charges of possessing objectionable publications.

Manch said the Department seized computer equipment from Betts last February and found over 7100 objectionable files ranging from young girls posing through to the sexual abuse of toddlers. In June 2009, while serving a summons for this offending, inspectors learned he had a new computer which contained four objectionable files and a computer game involving the rape of a schoolgirl and sexual violence. He had also attached a USB drive with child sexual exploitation material to the computer.

“Despite the use of encryption and the apparent destruction of the USB drive our inspectors were able to gather evidence of his offending,” Manch said. “No matter what’s done, everything’s traceable on your computer.”

Also sentenced on one charge of distribution and nine charges of possessing objectionable image files was Aaron Raniera Koziarski, 31, unemployed cook of Merivale, Christchurch. Judge Crosbie sentenced him to six months’ home detention.

Manch said Koziarski used a home network to “hide” material in an unusual location known by the defendant.

“Again through the expertise of our censorship team we were able to establish what he did,” Manch said.