Auckland police officer Matthew Rogers has been charged with possessing objectionable material covering an alleged offending period from August 2023 to October 2025.
Rogers appeared in Manukau District Court on Wednesday before Judge Frances Eivers and did not seek to continue name suppression. He was remanded at large without entering a plea and is expected to reappear in August. His lawyer Todd Simmonds KC indicated not guilty pleas may be entered but said it was too early to confirm.
The charges carry penalties of up to 10 years' imprisonment and fines reaching $50,000. Rogers has been stood down from police duties.
The prosecution follows a rapid audit of staff internet activity launched after former deputy police commissioner Jevon McSkimming resigned when child sexual exploitation and bestiality material were discovered on his work devices. Deputy Commissioner Tim Anderson announced on 11 June that three staff members were being prosecuted following separate investigations stemming from that review.
A second Auckland-based officer in his 60s appeared in the same court on Wednesday on charges covering alleged offending between May 2023 and May 2024. He faces charges relating to rape imagery, child exploitation material, child sexual exploitation, and bestiality material and has been granted interim name suppression. A third officer will appear at a Wellington court at a later date. All three have been stood down from duties.