Pearce Patrick Buckley, 35, was found guilty by a jury at the Dunedin District Court on three counts of possessing objectionable publications, despite his claims of innocence.
After being sentenced to two years, eight months’ imprisonment, he saw the Parole Board in August and accepted his criminal wrongdoing, explaining he was going through a "particularly stressful period" at the time.
But when he saw the board again in March, his stance had changed.
"Mr Buckley appears to have reverted to his initial position of denial," panel convener Judge Geoffrey Ellis said.
"He told us that he had downloaded the files in question inadvertently without knowing what they were, and he had no interest in child sex abuse material." Parole was denied.
In June 2018, Buckley created an account under the name "John Parker" on an encrypted file-storage application.
Shortly after establishing the account, the defendant imported a folder which contained more than 11,000 files featuring graphic depictions of the sexual abuse of children.
Some featured bestiality, the court heard.
Buckley deleted the file seven minutes after getting it, but later the same day reimported it and it remained in his account for several days.
In total, four copies of the file were found in his virtual trash by Department of Internal Affairs investigators.
Buckley tried to convince jurors his possession of the illegal material was inadvertent and that he was actually seeking niche adult material: tall women dominating men dressed up as babies.
The board heard the prisoner had a conviction for serious violence, but no prior sex crimes to his name.
Given his denials, Judge Ellis sought a full psychological report, which will assess treatment options for the Rolleston Prison inmate.
"There are some serious questions raised as to the extent to which Mr Buckley accepts his offending, particularly in relation to that aspect of the material which focused on the sexual exploitation of children," he said.
"The board is concerned that it does not have accurate information as to Mr Buckley’s assessed risk, nor any clear guidance as to the appropriate treatment pathway to address that risk."
Buckley will see the Parole Board again in July.
