Warning: This story contains details that may disturb some readers.
A convicted paedophile who worked as a cheerleading coach and as a cameraman for NZ Football, Auckland's MOTAT and popular children's TV show What Now has been sentenced to three years and six months in prison.
Nikola Michael Marinovich appeared in court on Friday, having been found guilty of seven charges including possessing, sharing and making images of children being sexually abused.
He was found in possession of 4658 objectionable images, including some photos of infants being abused. Girls' school uniforms were also found in his bedroom, along with two large bags of women's underwear and cheerleading uniforms.
Customs Investigations Manager Bruce Berry told reporters the images are "distressing", and revictimise a child every time they're viewed.
"The scale of the offending, nature of the victims and nature of the material speaks for itself," he said.
"We know there are millions of hits on the internet for this type of material from New Zealand every year. So is this a large-scale problem? Yes it is. Does society recognise the seriousness of the offending? The court commentary today recognised that."
Marinovich was arrested over the offences in 2019.
He had been hired as a freelance cameraman for What Now in 2018 and again in 2019, despite having served jail time for abusing children.
He was employed by Whitebait Media, a company owned by children's entertainer Jason Gunn and his wife Janine Morrell-Gunn. He did not undergo a background check before being employed, an error for which Morrell-Gunn has profusely apologised.
In 2012, Marinovich was found to have abused teenagers in his role as their cheerleading coach. He was then sentenced for two years and seven months in prison for unlawful sexual connection and sexual violation.
