Photo: RNZ/Marika Khabazi
An Auckland man who shared online photos and videos showing child sexual abuse has been sentenced to over four years in prison.
Hugo Plotton, 33, was sentenced over 32 charges in the Auckland District Court on Monday.
Plotton's Mt Wellington home was searched by customs in February 2022, after an alert from US-based charity the National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children.
Customs said he had a significant number of images and videos of child sexual abuse and bestiality involving both adults and children.
He was arrested on site, Customs said.
Plotton had been sharing the material to an overseas based social media platform, before his uploads were detected by the US based non-governmental organisation.
Chief customs officer Simon Peterson said Customs was committed to identifying individuals at the earliest opportunity to disrupt this type of offending.
"The fact this material is shared online does not reduce its impact on the victims - it is all abuse, with children re-victimised every time material showing their abuse is viewed and shared, and the demand this offending then creates for new images and new victims.
"Customs and our law enforcement as well as non-profit partners in New Zealand and overseas are watching closely for people who view and share child sexual abuse material. This sentencing is a result of those partnerships and the hard work and determination of the investigators involved."
Plotton was jailed for four years and four months, Customs said.