Police acknowledge the sentence handed down to Donald James Sarratt in the Wellington District Court today, for his role as a facilitator of a website which hosted computer-generated child sexual abuse material.
Sarratt, 35, was sentenced to five-and-a-half years’ imprisonment after being found guilty of possessing objectionable material relating to children and knowingly making and/or copying objectionable material relating to the sexual exploitation of children.
A forensic examination of Sarratt’s electronic devices also identified child sexual abuse material images of real children.
The operation, dubbed Operation Dark Orchid, commenced in 2022 following a referral from the United States of America, Department of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and Department of Justice Child Exploitation Unit.
The investigation centred on a website with over 85,000 computer generated images – 30,000 of those being realistic images depicting the graphic sexual abuse and torture of children as young as infants.
Teams of dedicated investigators worked tirelessly to identify those responsible for this offending, resulting in the dismantling of a long-standing website whose users who sought sexual gratification from the abuse of children.
Detective Sergeant Daniel Wright led Operation Dark Orchid for the New Zealand Police Online Child Exploitation Across New Zealand (OCEANZ) team.
He says Sarratt’s sentencing is a testament to the thorough investigation conducted by New Zealand Police and US law enforcement.
“In New Zealand, creating, possessing, or distributing material that promotes or tends to promote or support the sexual exploitation of children is punishable under the Films, Videos, Publications and Classifications Act.
“This investigation, involving our law enforcement colleagues from the US, demonstrates our commitment to keeping our communities safe, and that we will use all resources available to us to hold to account those who prey on the vulnerability of children both in New Zealand and abroad,” Detective Sergeant Wright says.
HSI Dallas Special Agent in Charge Travis Pickard says: “HSI works seamlessly with our law enforcement partners across the globe to stop those who produce and distribute child sexual abuse materials.
“The vast number of images uncovered in this joint investigation – many featuring disturbingly realistic computer-generated representations of unspeakable child sexual abuse – is unacceptable in any part of contemporary society.
“This sentence for the defendant reinforces our dedication to protecting the innocence of our most vulnerable populations from such abhorrent child exploitation,” he says.
Image credit: Wesley Tingey
Good work NZ Police to get a successfull prosecution. But 5.5 years sentencing for destroying kids innocence and lives… NZ courts continue to be a joke.
Operation Dark Orchid? Who chooses these names? Look up Orchidelirium? Are there pedo’s in the NZPA just having fun with that sort of operation name? Asking for a friend.