Category 6 child exploitation material (cartoons, animations, CGI, and written stories) is not a 'victimless crime' and is not to be treated as substantially different from other CETS categories for sentencing purposes, though it remains a relevant factor in assessing objective seriousness. The status of an offender as a serving police officer is an aggravating factor in child exploitation offences because of the duty to uphold the law and the public's entitlement to rely on police integrity. Once imprisonment is accepted as the appropriate sentence for child pornography offences, it is very difficult to demonstrate that a period of actual custody is beyond the sentencing discretion, given the paramount importance of general deterrence.
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