Nelson Man Sentenced to Over Five Years for Child Exploitation

A man from Nelson, New Zealand, has been sentenced to five years and five months in prison for possessing and distributing extreme child exploitation material. Storm Uriah Constable-Carter, 22, pleaded guilty to multiple charges linked to his involvement with horrific images and videos depicting abuse against children and animals. The sentencing occurred in the Nelson District Court, where Judge Tony Snell described the offences as among the most extreme ever encountered by investigators from the Department of Internal Affairs (DIA).

The case revealed Constable-Carter’s disturbing online activities, including expressing a desire to be a “famous child sex offender” and referencing notorious offenders known for sexual abuse of toddlers. During the court proceedings, prosecutor Daniel Baxter requested a starting sentence of 14 years, citing the severe nature of the material. In contrast, defence attorney Steven Zindel argued that while the crimes deserved punishment, the Crown’s proposal was excessive.

Judge Snell noted that the material held by Constable-Carter included graphic images of children ranging from newborns to early teenagers, many of whom were depicted in distressing scenarios involving torture and sexual abuse. The judge emphasized that these offences were not victimless, as they involved real children subjected to unimaginable horrors.

Scope of Offending and Investigation

Constable-Carter pleaded guilty in August 2022 to a total of 50 charges, which included the possession and distribution of thousands of objectionable images and videos. The charges encompassed four counts of creating objectionable material, 21 counts of distributing such material, and 25 counts of possession. Judge Snell described the scale of the offending as “massive,” with many charges being representative of larger patterns of abuse.

The DIA’s investigation began after identifying a video file in a cloud storage account that depicted bestiality involving an infant. Tim Houston, manager of the DIA Digital Child Exploitation Team, underscored the severity of the situation, stating that each instance of sharing abuse material perpetuates the trauma experienced by victims.

Constable-Carter’s activities came to light shortly after he relocated from Auckland to the Tasman district in April 2022. Days after his move, he began posting objectionable content, which investigators later traced to multiple encrypted internet accounts. In total, he controlled at least 61,061 objectionable publications, with an additional 30,000 files still to be categorized.

Judicial Commentary and Community Impact

Judge Snell acknowledged the challenging nature of sentencing in such extreme cases. While he recognized the serious nature of Constable-Carter’s crimes, he expressed concern over labeling them as the “worst ever,” noting that the landscape of child exploitation continually evolves, often becoming more severe.

Despite the defence’s attempts to illustrate Constable-Carter as a young person struggling to find his place in the world, the judge maintained that he was fully aware of the implications of his actions. The court’s decision aimed to reflect the need for both punishment and community protection, as well as the importance of denouncing such criminal behavior.

Constable-Carter’s sentence will see him serve time for distribution, possession, and manufacturing of objectionable material concurrently, meaning he will spend a total of five years and five months in prison. His release will ultimately be determined by the Parole Board, and he has been automatically registered as a child sex offender.

In light of this case, the DIA highlighted ongoing efforts to combat child exploitation, reporting that in 2024, the Digital Child Exploitation Team conducted 69 investigations into child exploitation. Furthermore, a filtering system successfully blocked over one million attempts to access websites hosting such material.

For those affected by sexual abuse, support is available. Emergency services can be reached by calling 111, while confidential assistance can be sought from Safe to Talk by calling 0800 044 334 or texting 4334. The fight against child exploitation remains a critical issue, with many advocates calling for heightened awareness and continued vigilance.