Disgraced former top cop Jevon McSkimming avoids jail over objectionable material

Wednesday, 17 December 2025

Former Deputy Police Commissioner Jevon Murray McSkimming will spend the next nine months in home detention.

The 52-year-old was sentenced before a packed public gallery at the Wellington District Court on Wednesday.

In November, he had pleaded guilty to charges of possessing objectionable publications, namely child sexual exploitation and bestiality material, knowing or having reasonable cause to believe that the publication was objectionable.

Police prosecutor Barnaby Hawes said the “searches spoke for themselves”. While the majority of the images comprised AI or cartoon images, 280 depicted real children. These were vulnerable victims: toddlers and older children subjected to serious sexual violence, Hawes said.

The fact that some images were AI or cartoon did not make the offending less serious, he said. These images, which could have origins in real images, sexualised children and normalised child sexual abuse.

McSkimming’s role and the fact he carried out the searches at work amounted to a breach of trust, Hawes said.

Over his offending period, there were police officers investigating exactly this type of offending, he said.

“He must have been fully aware of the harm he caused by accessing this material.”

McSkimming’s offending undermined public confidence, including of officers who work to protect children from sexual offending, Hawes said.

He referenced a pre-sentence report that outlined McSkimming’s entitled attitude, and that while he had expressed remorse, “this appeared to centre on the impact on himself and those close to him rather than the victims of the child sexual abuse”.

“He did not express contrition regarding the level of harm depicted in the images, or acknowledge that his behaviour contributed to the global child abuse industry.”

While the report noted his previous good character over a long period of time, the offending spoke against this, Hawes said.

“Remorse requires more than a simple expression of it, and requires more accountability.”

Hawes, who advocated for a start point of four years in prison, said that McSkimming was considered a “low risk”. However, due to his lack of remorse and insight, he recommended he be entered on the sex offender register.

McSkimming’s lawyer Letizea Ord said his offending was “unsophisticated”, and his role as a police officer did not assist him in his offending.

“Unfortunately, he had an addiction to pornography that simply overwhelmed him.”

Most of the images were thumbnails, and not child exploitation material

Most of the images were thumbnails and he’d clicked on about 160 images to view them more closely. However, none of the material was downloaded, stored or distributed, Ord said.

Only about 5% of the searches were clicked on: most simply presented themselves on thumbnails, and most related to bestality or adults, only a small percent related to child exploitation material.

“Virtually all were animated or cartoon, not real children. That’s not to say the offending was not serious, because it was.”

Ord said McSkimming’s work phone, as with every officer, was also his personal phone.

Ord said the former top cop was remorseful, and had insight into his offending, and its effect on others. He’d sought specialist assistance and engaged in a treatment programme.

“He’s suffered a very, very significant fall from grace. He has lost his career, he has lost his financial security for the future and he is likely to be ostracised from the workforce.

“He has experienced relentless press exposure and public appropriation, these have had a significant psychological impact.”

The sentencing

From a start point of three years in prison Judge Timothy Black applied 50% discount for McSkimming’s guilty plea, previous good character and his remorse, which had been evident in a letter supplied to the court.

“I accept that you are genuinely remorseful for your actions and the harm.“

The resulting 18 months in prison was commuted to 9 months home detention, Judge Black noting that McSkimming “would a prime target for serious violence.“

With reports assessing McSkimming’s reoffending risk as low, it was not appropriate for him to be placed on the sex offender register, the judge said.

Timeline

McSkimming was suspended on full pay in December 2024, amidst investigations into sexual misconduct.

Charges are still being pursued against the woman, referred to as Ms Z, behind these allegations.

In January, McSkimming released a statement via his lawyer, saying he intended to return to work.

But in March, another criminal investigation was announced, this time relating to the use of his work devices.

Court documents would eventually reveal thousands of searches for images of child exploitation and bestiality. RNZ reported that searches included AI material, nude toddlers, and words like “slave”, “abuse” and “extreme”.

Investigators noted that these searches comprised about 7% of the searches McSkimming made on his work devices over a four-year period.

On May 12, Police Minister Mark Mitchell announced McSkimming’s resignation and the end of his 29-year policing career.

On November 6, McSkimming pleaded guilty to the charges laid against him, and days later, a bombshell Independent Police Conduct Authority report outlined serious misconduct at the highest levels, including former Commissioner Andrew Coster, over the police response to the allegations of sexual misconduct against McSkimming.

Coster resigned from his new role at the head of the Social Investment Agency early this month.