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The
Press
Wednesday, June 16, 1993.
Blitz on porn pledged
by Barry Clarke
Police will
continue to investigate child pornography in Christchurch after seizing thousands of
hard-core videotapes during the Civic Childcare Centre inquiry.
Officers who worked on the long inquiry say they are appalled at the level of
deviancy they uncovered in the city.
About 2000 pornographic videotapes were seized, many unclassified, showing
child sex, rape scenes, bestiality, and sadomasochism
.
The tapes are imported. People from all walks of life have been viewing them,
the police say.
Detective Sergeant Bob Hardie said the videotapes were seized from five
properties, which included two second-hand book shops.
One man appeared in court yesterday on 20 charges of hiring out indecent
videos.
He was arrested on May 20.
Inquiries are continuing into other people identified as being involved with
child and other hard-core videotapes.
"This is only the tip of the iceberg," said Mr Hardie.
Some properties had been raided after police gained information about people
during the course of the creche inquiry.
He would not comment on information gained by "The Press" that one
of the properties raided belonged to a man who has an involvement with a
parent from the creche.
Hard-core pornographic videotapes were seized.
The property contained a concealed room that had housed a bed and sexual
paraphernalia.
Of all the pornographic tapes seized, only two showed child sex, said Mr Hardie.
Both were imported tapes.
However, police were sure on the basis of their informants that there was a
large amount of child pornography in the city that had not been found.
"Some of the material has been beyond belief," Mr Hardie said.
"Of the 2000-odd tapes we've seized, some have been classified by the
Video Recordings Authority, but a large number have not.
"An unhealthy number are of extreme hard-core pornography containing
despicable acts."
It is not illegal to possess the videotapes, but it is against the law to
hire them out.
The police had been told one of the ways of hiding child pornography was to
secrete child sex scenes in the middle of adult pornographic movies.
Mr Hardie said the police had found people involved in child pornography to
be similar to drug-users in fiercely guarding their supplies.
"It has to be understood that child pornography is extremely valuable to
its owner. It is very, very difficult to locate."
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