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A man who was found with a cache of child sexual abuse material has been sent to prison for three and a half years.
Nikola Marinovich at court
Photo: RNZ / Matthew Theunissen
Nikola Marinovich, who had previously been jailed for sexually abusing multiple youths, had more than 4,000 objectionable images and videos of children and babies.
After his first prison sentence, Marinovich worked as a freelance camera operator and was hired by the company that makes the children’s television show What Now.
In May last year, Customs investigators raided his home in Pukekohe and found the posts objectionable, more than 1,000 of which were classified as Category A, the most egregious classification.
Marinovich pleaded guilty to seven counts related to the possession, distribution and making of publications on child abuse.
Judge Eddie Paul gave graphic descriptions of some of them.
“If those descriptions didn’t reinforce the seriousness of what I was seeing, I really don’t know what would,” he said after describing some particularly disturbing images of children and babies, some of them barely months old.
“Each image is a real child and is hurt every time a criminal like you sees them.”
Marinovich carried out his previous offense while working as a cheerleading coach, and some of the images in his hideout were of teenage girls apparently taken during a cheerleading trip to Australia. It appears in some of these.
Defense attorney Ron Mansfield said being in the center of media attention made it difficult for Marinovich to reintegrate into society after completing his first sentence.
He suffered from depression and anxiety and began using controlled drugs, including methamphetamine.
While accepting his drug abuse did not warrant a sentence reduction, “what I am sensibly suggesting is that he did have a drug addiction; everyone has confirmed it. His life was miserable,” Mansfield said.
Marinovich had voluntarily sought professional help to get his life back on track months before Customs raided his home.
The charge of making objectionable posts relates to Marinovich filming his computer screen while displaying abusive material.
Mansfield said his distribution of the publications was not widespread.
Judge Paul said a letter Marinovich sent to the court appeared to show remorse for the situation he found himself in more than anything else.
“I have received 16 references in his name that describe a loving and kind man,” he told Marinovich.
“That is not the man who has offended here, the man who has offended here has committed a criminal offense for his own sexual satisfaction.”
