Pictures of a baby being sexually exploited were among more than 5600 "heinous" and "repulsive" images and videos found on a 24-year-old Otago man's devices.
Geordy Peter Brian Johnstone, 25, stared blankly as Judge Emma Smith sentenced him to three years and three months' imprisonment in the Alexandra District Court on Friday.
Johnstone had pleaded guilty in August to 28 charges, including a representative charge of possessing 5681 images and videos of children in sexualised situations between December 23, 2017, and February 7, 2019.
The large majority of the images involved children aged between 2 and 14 years, or featured sexual activity involving animals or sadism.
Johnstone's youngest victim was an infant aged under 6 months old.
Judge Emma Smith said it was "inconceivable" that these young children were suffering the "grossest of indecencies" and were forced to carry such a "dreadful burden" into adulthood every time the images turned up on the internet.
"These children are somewhere in the world being raped and violated. They are often clearly imprisoned.
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"The victims cannot talk for themselves. There is a large number of them. The number cannot be calculated easily."
Johnstone's offending came to light after New Zealand police received a referral from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police about a user of the instant messaging application KIK, who had used an image containing child exploitation material in their profile picture. That user was Johnstone.
Authorities searched Johnstone's Roxburgh home on February 7, 2019 and found the child abuse material on his computer and phone.
A pre-sentence report revealed Johnstone had a mixed attitude to his offending and victims. He had tried to distance himself from seeing them as victims and people, the judge said.
"You suggest they may be willing and, depending on age, they may not remember ... You have the grossest ... of thinking if you believe that for one moment."
In 2016, Johnstone was sentenced to four months' home detention for indecently assaulting a boy aged under 12.
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"Only 23 days after completing home detention ... you were found in possession of the material I have referred to," Judge Smith said.
Johnstone was not charged with distributing child sexual abuse material, but had admitted engaging online with those who had a similar sexual interest and trading images online.
He also revealed he got flashes of what he witnessed online when he saw children in the community.
Defence counsel Kieran Tohill acknowledged the crimes were "repulsive" and "heinous".
The judge authorised the destruction of both Johnstone's cellphone and storage device, and his name would automatically appear on the Child Sex Offender Register.
