Warning: This story involves reference to the sexual exploitation of children and may be upsetting
A man addicted to pornography became so desensitised to it that he crossed a line into highly illegal material involving child exploitation.
Now, Matthew Harry Drummond, 35, is in prison and suffering what his defence lawyer said were the consequences of not only separation from his son but reputational damage enhanced by belonging to a well-known farming family from Motueka.
Drummond’s suppression lapsed at sentencing this week after his identity had been kept under wraps since the offending three years ago, which was discovered in 2022.
He might have avoided prison but for the fact that while waiting for sentencing he used an alias online to try to elicit nude photos from a 16-year-old girl.
While not in itself a crime due to her age, it showed the rehabilitation Drummond had been undergoing had not achieved the intended results.
“It’s almost unbelievable when facing sentencing,” Judge Tony Snell said in the Nelson District Court.
Defence lawyer Michael Vesty said Drummond’s mainstay was adult porn, and as part of his addiction, he had started viewing child exploitation material.
The farm manager was sentenced to just under two and a half years in prison for what the Crown described as “lecherous behaviour” that led to a total of 14 charges.
The lead two charges, that Drummond knowingly supplied an objectionable publication, occurred when on two occasions in 2021 he shared the same 33-second video that featured the most serious level of child exploitation material.
It was argued that the videos were only short but Judge Snell said the “most appalling content” could feature in the shortest videos, as in this case.
“The reality is, it showed an adult male having sex with an 11- or 12-year-old female and that’s a horrific video to be sharing,” he said.
Drummond also admitted 11 charges of knowingly possessing child exploitation material and one charge of possessing an objectionable publication that displayed the “extensive, sexual abuse of children”, Judge Snell said.
Vesty said there was no curation of the material and distribution of the video might be seen as less serious than other cases because Drummond had sent it peer-to-peer and not to a chat room, where it had the potential to have been seen by many more people.
Judge Snell said regardless, once such material became a “cog in the machine of distribution” it was unknown if it might be viewed by one person or hundreds at a time.
The Crown accepted that the material found was viewed and then deleted, which meant it was no longer accessible, but it had been cached which was how it was found.
Drummond, who sent the material via his two different usernames on Snapchat, was caught after authorities were alerted following a tip-off to the United States-based National Centre for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC).
The centre acts as a resource for families, law enforcement agencies and other government agencies to help find missing children and prevent the sexual exploitation of children.
Under US law, electronic service providers such as Snapchat must report any instances of child exploitation, the police summary of facts said.
According to the summary, Snapchat sent two CyberTipline reports to the NCMEC which identified Drummond as the user through his email address.
Police searched his home in May 2022 and found two phones, each containing a selection of graphic videos and images involving child exploitation across all categories of seriousness.
A search of Drummond’s internet search history from March 2020 to May 2022 showed he had looked up non-criminal pornography material, but also a significant number of websites depicting rape, bestiality, gang rape, incest, kidnapping and child exploitation material.
The internet searches occurred when Drummond was serving a sentence of home detention in 2019 for indecent assault.
Judge Snell said it appeared he had become desensitised and was looking for stimulation through more graphic material.
He reinforced the message that child exploitation was not a victimless crime because it involved real children who endured suffering and trauma for the sexual gratification of the people who viewed it.
The judge regarded viewers of such material equally as complicit in the abuse as those who made it.
“People who view and download this material expedite an insidiously harmful industry,” he said.
Drummond had initially been assessed as being at medium risk of reoffending, which was elevated to a higher risk once his efforts to gain the nude photos from the 16-year-old were revealed.
Judge Snell said it changed how he viewed the pre-sentence report, written without knowing what Drummond had tried to do.
Vesty argued there was scope for a reduction in sentence through Drummond’s guilty pleas.
Judge Snell said the admissions had not been made until earlier this year but an 18% discount was “probably justified” on a start point of four years imprisonment.
Vesty also sought an adjustment for the likely effect of publication on Drummond’s son, who was an innocent victim of what had occurred.
Judge Snell awarded a small discount, but said Drummond might want to reflect on his son, and how many of the victims were of a similar age.
“It might bring home how these young people are being exploited,” he said.
Judge Snell arrived at a final sentence of two years and four-and-a-half months in prison, with release to be set by the Parole Board.
SEXUAL HARM
Where to get help:
If it's an emergency and you feel that you or someone else is at risk, call 111.
If you've ever experienced sexual assault or abuse and need to talk to someone, contact Safe to Talk confidentially, any time 24/7:
• Call 0800 044 334
• Text 4334
• Email support@safetotalk.nz
• For more info or to web chat visit safetotalk.nz
Alternatively contact your local police station - click here for a list.
If you have been sexually assaulted, remember it's not your fault.
