New Zealand citizen, Vincenzo Tyrone Wiremu, managed to avoid jail time recently due to having Asperger’s Syndrome. Wiremu was apprehended in April 2016, after a United States connection identified him and referred him to the Internal Affairs in New Zealand.
The 24-year-old was arrested on a total of 41 charges, including making, possessing and distributing of explicit images and videos depicting children.
The images, including toddlers, consisted of children restrained, tied and gagged while enduring sexual assault. Wiremu admitted to trading the pictures on the dark web, as well as utilizing DropBox for accessing the files.
“Wiremu admitted using a “drop box” system where people could access the files. He voluntarily provided access to emails and other accounts he used. That included setting up a Facebook page called “young love” in which to place images.
Internal Affairs prosecutor Marty Robinson said the department was concerned about the large number of people – more than 100 – who accessed the distributed material and by the extreme nature of the abuse. The department called for a starting point of six years’ jail, before other factors were considered.”
Apparently the crime wasn’t sick enough to land Wiremu jail time however, as the judge opted to give him two years of supervision and restricted internet access instead. The judge also wasn’t the only one willing to forgive Wiremu after the fact – his family, friends, and even employers were willing to forgive him (and keep him on board).
The judge’s reasoning: she doesn’t consider Wiremu to be a risk to society. Instead, she explains that the threat lies in Wiremu’s access to computers and the internet.
At the very least, Wiremu is required to attend specialist counseling while under the two years of supervision. On the other hand, the 24-year-old man can still access the internet on approved devices.
The question is: do medical disorders excuse criminal behavior? Are people that are arrested on drug charges freed if they’re diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome? Where is the line crossed?