Storm Constable-Carter guilty of creating and sharing child abuse content

If he was rich, he probably would have got name suppression

Storm Uriah Constable-Carter, a 22-year-old hospitality worker from Nelson, has pleaded guilty to 50 charges of creating, possessing, and distributing some of the most extreme child abuse material imaginable. He stored more than 61,000 sickening files across cloud accounts, including infants thought to be less than a week old, and even content involving animals in acts of zoosadism. Police described his offending as disturbing beyond words.

The court had no issue naming him. His family sat in the public gallery in tears as his name, age, and every detail of his depravity became part of the public record. His reputation is destroyed forever, and rightly so.

However, if Constable-Carter had been from a wealthy family, there is every chance the public would never have heard his name. Just last week, a 46-year-old man from one of New Zealand’s richest families was convicted of importing and possessing child sex abuse material. Despite the seriousness of his crimes, he was granted permanent name suppression. His family name was protected, his powerful connections insulated him, and the company linked to him was scrubbed from reporting.

The contrast could not be clearer. A working-class 22-year-old gets shamed nationally. A rich middle-aged man hides behind the law, his crimes forever blurred out of public scrutiny.

This is the two-tier justice system New Zealand pretends does not exist. If you are rich, you buy silence. If you are poor, you wear the shame.

Constable-Carter is a dangerous and perverted offender who deserves his punishment. The public has a right to ask why his name is broadcast while another man, convicted of similar offences, is shielded for life. It should not matter whether your family name appears on company registers or gossip columns - the principle of open justice should apply equally.

Right now in New Zealand, it clearly does not.