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Jail for man found with thousands of child abuse images

Friday, 22 November 2024

Jamie Frew has been jailed for more than two years for accumulating thousands of images depicting child sexual abuse.
Jamie Frew has been jailed for more than two years for accumulating thousands of images depicting child sexual abuse.

CONTENT WARNING: This story contains details that may be upsetting.

A Manawatū man caught with more than 5000 child sexual abuse images depicting animals, adults and children as young as 6 months old says they were “just a collection”.

Jamie Frew, 45, appeared in the Palmerston North District Court on Thursday where he was jailed for two years and three months for possessing the objectionable material.

He earlier pleaded guilty to three charges laid by police in June 2023 after the stills and videos were found on a number of electronic devices including a PlayStation.

Judge Jonathon Krebs said, according to the summary of facts, Frew amassed the “huge volume” of material over five years and two months.

There was nothing to suggest he distributed it or “acted it out”, but a number of the images were classed as category A, meaning they featured penetrative sexual activity, sadism or sexual activity with an animal.

Other images were “evocative of sexual torture”.

The judge said Frew’s view that this was a victimless crime because he did not know or directly contact the children involved “was of some concern”.

This was a “misguided view”, he said, as police estimated there were at least 800 young victims.

That number could be as high as 1500, and many of them had been identified by overseas authorities.

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“The harm involved is impossible to know with any exactness; however, it is clear all those children will be deeply scarred.”

Frew had disputed parts of the summary and suggested some material was planted on his devices after he moved out of his home.

He wrote a letter of apology to the judge during a counselling session and asked to address the court on Thursday.

“Honestly, sir, all the pictures were was just a collection. That was it,” he said.

The judge noted Frew had previous convictions for assault, drugs and drink-driving but nothing of a similar nature to these offences.

He also had children of his own and was living with his son.

Pre-sentence reports said Frew had been frank about his past, and this included early exposure to pornography.

The judge did not want to go into detail about this in open court but said it was clear Frew carried “burdens and scars” from his childhood.

“I have no doubt these have sculpted the way you view this sort of material and have attracted you to the possession of it.”

Defence lawyer Kila Pedder said his client was genuinely remorseful and argued for a sentence of home detention.

Frew had sought counselling voluntarily, and Pedder asked for a reduction on any sentence imposed for his client’s personal circumstances.

The judge noted much of the offending was aggravated by the fact the children were young and vulnerable, and Frew had obtained a large number of images incrementally over a long period.

He set a starting point of three years and nine months’ jail but allowed a 40% discount for Frew’s guilty pleas and personal circumstances.

That meant an end sentence of two years and three months’ jail.

As this was more than two years, the judge could not commute the term to home detention. “Either way I wouldn’t have imposed it,” he said.

He urged Frew to get the specialised help he needed and said he would automatically be placed on the sex offender register.

Where to get help