Northland man who sexually exploited children to spend at least eight years in jail

December 9, 2020
Gang members make up almost 40 percent of New Zealand's prison population.

A Northland man who sexually exploited children has been jailed for 15 years today.

Brent James Ruddell, a 34-year-old Kerikeri man, was sentenced at the High Court in Whangārei to 15 years and five months’ imprisonment, with a minimum of eight years non-parole over dozens of charges, including sexual offending involving young children.

Customs says he was convicted on more than 70 police and customs charges relating to exporting, possessing and distributing objectionable publications, abduction for sex, unlawful sexual connection and sexual conduct with children, as well as minor drug-related charges.

"Operation Blackhawk commenced when customs began investigating a New Zealander who had exported – more commonly known as uploaded – child sexual exploitation images onto a popular social media platform," New Zealand customs says in a statement.

Customs investigators then linked this to Ruddell’s home address, arresting him and seizing his electronic devices for forensic examination in November 2019.

"Customs forensics specialists found 1,191 child sexual exploitation images and videos on the seized phones and laptop, and identified evidence that suggested Ruddell had produced a number of videos and photos himself.

"Taskforce Ruru – which consists of specialists from Customs, Police and Internal Affairs – was immediately stood up to identify the victims. Over the course of a week, these investigators worked full-time on the case and identified five child victims."

Northland police were then alerted to make sure the children were safe and a second search warrant was carried out on Ruddell's address leading to more charges.

“Sadly, we’re seeing that there is an increasing amount of crossover between those who deal in child sexual abuse material, and those who physically offend against children," Simon Peterson, Chief Customs Officer - Child Exploitation Operations Team says.

“Today’s sentencing is further evidence of the strength of a joint-agency approach to stopping child sexual exploitation, and increasing the safety of victims and our communities."

If you have concerns or suspicions about an individual who may be trading in or producing child sexual abuse images or videos, call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

If you are, or know of, someone who is at risk or being sexually abused, contact police immediately.

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