Ronald Leonard Ford, 79, was sentenced to 12 months home detention in the Hutt Valley District Court, following an investigation by Te Tari Taiwhenua, Department of Internal Affairs’ Digital Child Exploitation Team.

Ford pleaded guilty to two representative charges related to the possession of objectionable material depicting the sexual exploitation and abuse of children.

The 79-year-old was found after uploading child sexual exploitation and abuse images to a visual search engine, in an effort to seek out similar illegal material.

After a search warrant was executed at his residence on 1 August 2023, Ford admitted to the offending whilst being interviewed. During the interview he stated his offending was “just amusement” and that he thought viewing the horrific sexual abuse of infants and children, was "fairly innocuous".

Forensic analysis of the nine USB drives and three computer hard drives seized during the search warrant, uncovered the offender had amassed over 45,000 child sexual exploitation images and videos. The victims included in the objectionable child sexual abuse material ranged from infants to children aged 15 years old. Many of the images included innocent children being subjected to cruel and demeaning sexual abuse including being bound and gagged.

Judge Wills also ordered Ford to be registered as a child sex offender and for all electronic devices used during the offending to be destroyed.

“Offending like this is not innocuous at all. Sharing child sexual abuse material and connecting with other offenders fosters dangerous behaviours and increases the risk of children being physically harmed.” Says Tim Houston, Manager Digital Child Exploitation Team.

“Investigations that result in holding offenders accountable help protect and safeguard the most vulnerable in our society from harm.”

“For those who may be at risk of committing sexual online offences, I urge you for yourself, those around you and the victims, please immediately seek the confidential help that is available.”

“Anyone who distributes, makes, or possesses this despicable illegal material will be fully held to account in the court of law, it’ll just be a matter of time until you are caught.”

© Scoop Media