A 57-year-old Timaru man has been arrested after allegedly importing a sex doll that resembled a child.
The man appeared in court today, charged with importing a prohibited good and possessing objectionable publications involving the sexual exploitation of children.
Customs investigations manager Bruce Berry said the package came from China and was examined by customs officers.
He said the doll was considered an obscene and indecent article.
Mr Berry said it was not the first time a child sex doll had been imported, but this is the first time someone had been charged.
He said the arrest should serve as a warning to other potential importers that just because child sex dolls were available from overseas, it did not make them legal in New Zealand.