Ex-New Zealand deputy police commissioner Jevon McSkimming pleads guilty to possessing child exploitation and bestiality content on work devices
WELLINGTON: New Zealand’s former deputy police commissioner has admitted possessing child sexual exploitation and bestiality material stored on his work devices.
Jevon McSkimming, previously the country’s second-highest ranking police officer, was arrested and charged in June with eight counts of possessing objectionable material.
Courts had initially prevented media from reporting his identity, but his right to anonymity lapsed in August.
McSkimming admitted to three representative charges of possessing objectionable material, his lawyer told the Wellington District Court on Thursday.
The original charges alleged the 52-year-old possessed child exploitation and bestiality content between specific dates.
One charge stated the offenses occurred between July 2020 and December 2024.
McSkimming was suspended from his position on full pay in December 2024 when an investigation into his conduct began.
Details of those specific allegations cannot be reported under current court restrictions.
He remained on leave for six months before resigning in May.
McSkimming will be sentenced in December.
New Zealand Police Commissioner Richard Chambers described the case as disgraceful on Thursday.
“The outcome shows all police, no matter their rank, are accountable to the laws that apply to us all,” he said. – AFP
