Disgust over dead boy’s pictures on porn site

Ngatikaura Ngati died after horrific abuse by his parents. Children’s advocates are appalled that pictures of a young Auckland boy killed by his parents were posted on a pornographic site featuring beheadings, impalement and necrophilia.

Ngatikaura Ngati died in 2006 after horrific abuse by his parents, who were convicted of his manslaughter.

Pictures of his dead body were controversially released by the trial judge in 2007 to publicise the harm caused by child abuse.

In February this year, the pictures were posted on a website that contains pornography and graphic images of violent deaths.

Victims’ rights campaigner Rachael Ford, who came across the images this week while researching the case of Ngatikaura Ngati, said the site was disturbing.

The website, which the Weekend Herald has decided not to name, claims to be educational and to “wake people up to the reality” of violence.

However, it contains pictures of necrophilia and naked women being impaled, and comments by readers make it clear they find the material sexually arousing.

The pictures of Ngatikaura were published next to explicit images of hardcore pornography.

The website, which is based overseas, also runs caption competitions encouraging readers to make fun of people who have died violent deaths.

At the time the pictures were released, the then Children’s Commissioner, Cindy Kiro, attacked the move, saying that once the images were placed on the internet, there was no way of controlling who saw them or how they were used.

Dr Kiro also said it was abhorrent that the pictures were then circulated in an email petition calling for tougher action on child abuse.

“Circulating them allows for further abuse in the death of a child who was abused in life. It is abhorrent to have them circulated in this way.”

The present Children’s Commissioner, Dr Russell Wills, was not available for interview. But in a statement, he said he was “appalled to learn that images of Ngatikaura Ngati have been used on this website”.

He had referred the matter to the Department of Internal Affairs and the police, and said he would continue to monitor the issue.

At the time the pictures were released, Inspector Richard Middleton, who led the police case against Ngatikaura’s parents, said publishing the photos could have a positive effect and help to prevent further abuse.

This week he stood by that view.

First published in The New Zealand Herald