Child sex images escalated to abuse
This is the man who accumulated more than 17,000 objectionable images in the weeks and months before approaching a young girl outside her Hastings home and making a victim of her too.
When Beaudene Bliss was sentenced in Napier District Court yesterday, the Crown prosecutor, Clayton Walker, described the man’s offending as being ‘‘every parent’s nightmare’’.
He said it showed how those who collected such material could progress to a point where they acted out and offended against children they come into contact with.
Judge Lance Rowe said Bliss, 37, had been prepared to perpetuate the abuse of children by sharing the images, and had gone on to take images of his own ‘‘in a highly predatory way’’.
He said that Bliss’ offending against the girl had devastated her family and ‘‘the victim impact in this case is significant’’.
As well as pleading guilty to a representative charge of possessing of 17,137 objectionable publications, Bliss also pleaded guilty to five charges of distributing objectionable publications, one of making an intimate visual recording, and one of indecently assaulting a girl under 12.
He also pleaded guilty to possessing a cannabis pipe and a cannabis utensil, and two charges of possessing a knife.
Bliss’ lawyer, Paul Chambers, said Bliss had a great deal of selfloathing as a result of the offending and had been attending counselling.
He said Bliss was remorseful and was ‘‘a gentleman going through an extraordinarily drugaddled time’’ when he offended.
He said Bliss’ parents had made a late offer of reparation of $2000 to the parents of his victims.
Walker said Bliss’ offending against a young girl represented his progression to creating a victim of his own.
He said the issue of reparation had not been discussed with the victim’s family and he could not obtain their views on that.
Last May, Bliss offered an 11-year-old girl money if she pulled down her pants. She refused but ultimately he took photographs of her lower body and he gave her money.
A few weeks later, police found Bliss in his car parked in a kindergarten car park. They recovered two knives and drug utensils and also seized a latex sex doll, a laptop and an iPhone.
Analysis of the devices revealed 17,137 photographs and videos depicting objectionable child exploitation material and 11 photos of the Hastings girl. It also revealed he had shared five of these via Skype.
Judge Rowe accepted Bliss was sorry for what he had done, and sentenced him to 31⁄2 years jail.